ZHANG ZHE, CATHY (THE LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS
AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, 2016 - 2017)
Growing up in a west village in China, I hardly ever had the chance to acquire the knowledge related to using the legal procedure to protect legitimate rights and interests in my childhood. I witnessed plenty of labourers, including my relatives, who could not receive salaries to cover the whole family’s living expenses. It was at that time I decided to pursue a lawyer’s career to help more manual workers. I joined the Legal Aid Centre of the School when I was a junior and focused on applying the Point-aid System of legal aid. During that period, I specially paid attention to the legal aid methodology of encouraging the client to take more initiative, instead of conforming to the Chinese legal aid system known to be more passive.
Over the past decades, China has enjoyed rapid development in all aspects of economy. Meanwhile, citizens’ legal consciousness is gradually enhancing. The government has invested more and more fiscal budget to build a systematic institution in recent years. From my practical experiences, I have gotten to know the realistic necessity of legal aid in China. As a postgraduate, I know my knowledge and skills are somehow limited. So I chose the London School of Economics and Political Science, one of the most prestigious schools in the world, for my further studies.
After graduation, I prefer to return to China and devote myself into the development of legal aid system in our country. Although there are numerous efforts towards it, the number of specialists in this field, who are familiar with foreign institutions, is still sparse. Accumulating experiences from participating in voluntary activities and combining theoretical knowledge with reality in China, I want to realize my dream about influencing individual life and national identity through legal aid. The passion to serve my motherland has compelled me to fly west, and will also draw me back considering the simple fact that I can become a better public lawyer here in my home.
It is my great honour to be awarded this scholarship by the David and Jayne Paterson Educational Trust. I am grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Paterson, who have supported many outstanding students in our university to study abroad. Their selfless and generous assistance will encourage me to study hard and persist in pursuing my dream of becoming a public lawyer. Thank you very much!
Over the past decades, China has enjoyed rapid development in all aspects of economy. Meanwhile, citizens’ legal consciousness is gradually enhancing. The government has invested more and more fiscal budget to build a systematic institution in recent years. From my practical experiences, I have gotten to know the realistic necessity of legal aid in China. As a postgraduate, I know my knowledge and skills are somehow limited. So I chose the London School of Economics and Political Science, one of the most prestigious schools in the world, for my further studies.
After graduation, I prefer to return to China and devote myself into the development of legal aid system in our country. Although there are numerous efforts towards it, the number of specialists in this field, who are familiar with foreign institutions, is still sparse. Accumulating experiences from participating in voluntary activities and combining theoretical knowledge with reality in China, I want to realize my dream about influencing individual life and national identity through legal aid. The passion to serve my motherland has compelled me to fly west, and will also draw me back considering the simple fact that I can become a better public lawyer here in my home.
It is my great honour to be awarded this scholarship by the David and Jayne Paterson Educational Trust. I am grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Paterson, who have supported many outstanding students in our university to study abroad. Their selfless and generous assistance will encourage me to study hard and persist in pursuing my dream of becoming a public lawyer. Thank you very much!