Slaughter and May announces winner of Student Innovation Competition

Slaughter and May has announced the winner of the firm’s Innovation Competition for students. The winner was Bonnie Barfield, whose podcast explored how law firms could use virtual technologies, such as the Metaverse, to maintain and develop personal relationships in the hybrid/virtual world of work. Bonnie will receive £1,000 and will be joining the firm for a week’s work experience in its Knowledge & Innovation team later this year.

Students could choose to answer one of two questions, and entries were judged on their creativity, originality, commercial awareness and strength and clarity of argument. Entries were invited in any format, and included podcasts, blog posts, narrated presentations and essays.

The firm received close to 40 entries which were then shortlisted by a panel made up of members of the Knowledge & Innovation Team and the firm’s Innovation Network Hub, who identified the six strongest entries, which were then put to the final judging panel.

The judging panel was made up of Partners, Oliver Wicker and Sally Wokes, Director of Knowledge & Innovation, Alex Woods, and Head of Knowledge & Innovation, Jane Stewart.

In addition to the £1,000 prize and work experience placement awarded to the winner, the second and third place entries were awarded £500 and £250 in prize money respectively.

“It was a pleasure to be involved in the judging panel again this year. I never cease to be impressed by the quality, creativity and originality of the entrants to the competition, which make it a harder job to judge every year. Congratulations to all for taking part, and in particular to this year’s winners.” said Alex Woods.

Associate Michael Craig, who was part of the competition shortlisting panel, said: “More than ever, law firms need fresh thinking - the entries this year provided that in truck loads. We are grateful for every entry and would encourage students to take their novel ideas with them to drive change as they embark on their legal careers.”

Katherine Sothcott, Knowledge & Information Officer at Slaughter and May, said; “Thank you to all the students who entered the competition – the range of ideas and creative ways in which those ideas were presented was fantastic. We very much look forward to welcoming Bonnie into the Knowledge & Innovation Team.”

The winners were as follows:

First place: Bonnie Barfield (studying Modern Languages at the University of Birmingham) who produced a podcast in response to the question “What can law firms do to help individuals maintain and develop personal relationships in the hybrid/virtual world of work?”

Second place: Emily Rossiter (studying English Literature at the University of Manchester) who produced an app proposal in response to the question “What can law firms do to help individuals maintain and develop personal relationships in the hybrid/virtual world of work?”

Third place: Nigel Cledwyn Motinius (studying LLB Law at the University of the West of England, Bristol) with a narrated presentation in response to the question “How can law firms innovate to ensure that environment, social and governance (ESG) goals are met internally and for their clients?”

Highly commended: Sukhpreet Kaur (studying Politics, Philosophy and Law at the University of Warwick) with a magazine article in response to the question “What can law firms do to help individuals maintain and develop personal relationships in the hybrid/virtual world of work?”

View the winning entry