Photo caption:泭厙ぴ勛圖 Law Faculty Executive Dean Professor Petra Butler with prize-winning student Cushla Hemingway and UC Law Professor Ursula Cheer.
Cushla Hemingway won the John Burrows Prize in Media Law, the Privacy Commissioner Prize in Privacy Law and the Torts Prize at Te Whare Wnanga o Waitaha | 厙ぴ勛圖 (UC)泭 an extraordinary achievement.泭泭
The 21-year-old, who is in the fourth year of her double degree and has been accepted into UCs Law Honours programme, has also been offered a graduate role with Bell Gully in Auckland, after completing a summer internship with the law firm.泭泭泭
She is delighted with her run of success. I am very grateful to be awarded these three prizes after working hard to achieve consistent results in the 2024 exam season.
UC Law Professor Ursula Cheer, who has lectured Hemingway and is now supervising her dissertation, says she is a truly outstanding student. It was a thrill to teach Cushla in two of the courses where she won significant prizes, Torts and Media Law. Im very proud of her, as is the Law Faculty. She has a great future ahead of her.
Bell Gully Partner Richard Massey says it was great to have Hemingway in the team during her summer internship with the firm. "Cushla showed a natural interest in our practice areas and we were all delighted to hear about her outstanding recent achievements."
As part of her Law Honours course this year, Hemingway is researching the impact of artificial intelligence on defamation law.
Hemingway, who is originally from Auckland but moved to Christchurch to study at UC in 2022, has wanted to study commercial law since she was at high school, despite having no close family connections to the law. Her mum is a graphic designer and her dad has a furniture design business.
I was interested in business from a young age, she says. I wanted to combine that with my passion for reading and writing which led me to focus on commercial law. I am really enjoying studying law at UC and love being able to support younger students through my tutoring.泭泭泭
Hemingway is a mentor for UCs LawME programme, providing support and guidance to first-year students, and also tutors students privately. Her goals for the future include becoming a partner or owning her own law firm specialising in commercial law. She would also like to complete a Master of Laws at Harvard University in the United States.
UC Faculty of Law Executive Dean Professor Petra Butler describes Hemingway as an excellent role model for other students. She has a real passion and dedication for the law, which I deeply respect.泭
In January, UCs Faculty of Law was ranked in the top 300 band in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings by Subject 2025 for the first time.泭泭
