UNIQ Summer School Welcomes University Chancellor

Chris Patten
On Monday 15 July, the UNIQ Law Summer School had the pleasure of welcoming Oxford University Chancellor Chris Patten to the Law Faculty, for a morning of taster lectures and Q&As.

Part of the University’s flagship access scheme, UNIQ offers week-long residential courses where sixth formers enjoy a taste of the academic and social life at Oxford, with the Law course designed to give an introduction to the broad range of topics which undergraduates encounter during their time at Oxford. The mid-morning session began with a talk from Katherine Baysan, the Law Faculty’s Admissions and Outreach Officer, covering topics from the various outreach initiatives which the Faculty runs, to practical advice for preparing for the LNAT. This was followed by a lively Q&A session where students had the opportunity to ask detailed questions about Oxford’s application process, and more general questions about life at Oxford, from the college system to pastoral care.

Chris Patten
The Q&A was followed by a fascinating lecture from Rebecca Williams, Professor of Public Law and Criminal Law at Pembroke College, on ‘Causation in Criminal Law’, in which the students were encouraged to engage with a range of real-life case studies analysing the complexities of the doctrines of causation. After the lecture, the students had the opportunity to quiz the Chancellor about life at Oxford. A first generation student himself, Lord Patten talked to students about his student life at Oxford as an undergraduate at Balliol College reading History – joking that he wished he had chosen Law instead. He highlighted the Law Faculty’s ‘fantastic record’ of producing highly successful alumni, including, he noted, three members of the United States Supreme Court and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in the U.K. Lord Patten strongly encouraged the sixth formers to apply to Oxford, and welcomed their feedback on the UNIQ experience, which he praised as a ‘tremendous’ access initiative.