KCL law school embarks on £40m investment programme
King’s College London’s school of law is undergoing a £40million investment programme in a bid to establish it as a leader in the field of transnational law.
A Hong Kong-based philanthropist Dickson Poon CBE has donated the first £20million, which will be used in the development of a transnational legal centre, a worldwide recruitment campaign and an Ivy League-style scholarship programme.
Principal and president of KCL professor Sir Richard Trainor said: “This £40 million project has only been made possible thanks to the extraordinary vision of Dickson Poon and his exceptionally generous offer to partner with us.
“The creation of The Dickson Poon School of Law is a milestone achievement in the 180-year history of King’s College London and will open a new era of academic opportunity.”
The new centre will be developed in the law school’s new home in Somerset House East Wing, which will become an international centre for legal research.
Up to 75 students a year will benefit from the scholarship programme, of which 15 places will be reserved for students currently resident in Hong Kong and China.
“The substantial scholarship programme will enable King’s to attract the most talented and promising students, whatever their background,” added head of the school of law professor Timothy Macklem.
“Our new Politics, Philosophy and Law LLB programme offers a unique opportunity for students to fulfil the requirements of a qualifying law degree, while at the same time being able to choose from a range of optional modules from the Philosophy and Political Economy departments at King’s, graduating with a well-rounded degree highly sought-after by potential employers.”
The news comes at a time when more law firms are looking towards China in recruitment strategies, with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer recently targeting aspiring lawyers from UK universities for its China offices (31 October 2011).
Meanwhile Davis Polk also launched recruitment from UK universities for trainees to join its Hong Kong-law practice in 2010 (22 November 2010).
