Cardiff student reaches final of Legal Mind competition

An intersectionality champion from the School of Law and Politics has been named as a finalist in a national law competition.

Second year law student, 19-year-old, Edeh Gharibi, has triumphed against law students and legal trainees nationwide to be named as one of ten finalists in this year’s National Accident Helpline’s Future Legal Mind Awards. The competition has been running for seven years and past winners have gone on to become barristers and solicitors.

This year, a record number of entries were received for the essay-based competition however Edeh, who dreams of specialising in discrimination law specifically regarding ethnicity and race, stood out against her competitors. Edeh’s application was critical of current legislation and its failure to protect those that face “multiple discrimination” due to their social and political identities. Edeh argued that current UK legislation requires serious reform.

“Many people are being left behind in terms of protection. I want to ensure that everyone’s experiences and identities are protected. This is an issue personal to me as hopefully, a future woman of colour in law, I want to be protected in the workplace and if I’m not protected by the time I get there, I want to bring the change myself.”

Speaking of her achievement Edeh said: “I was so surprised and extremely appreciative to be given this opportunity to be able to speak on what I feel passionate about and to be acknowledged in this way.”

Watch Edeh's application video on YouTube

Will Herbertson, Marketing and Strategy Director, National Accident Helpline Group said: “Edeh succinctly highlights her concerns about the limitations of the Equality Act and her ambition to tackle discrimination. We wish her the best of luck for the final.”

Stewart Field, Head of Law at the School of Law and Politics said: “We were thrilled to hear that Edeh had reached the final of this year’s awards. This is the second year in a row that a Cardiff law student has reached this point in the competition which is testament to the calibre of our students and their legal thinking skills. I wish her the best of luck in the competition and indeed her future legal career.”

The winner of Future Legal Mind 2021 will be announced in later this month. The winner will receive a £2,000 prize fund and will be mentored by experienced lawyers.