Katie Ratcliffe makes it two in a row for Merton law students

First-year undergraduate Katie Ratcliffe has been awarded this year's Criminal Law prize, the second year in a row that it has been awarded to a Merton student. The prize, sponsored by leading international law firm Slaughter and May, is awarded to the best Law Moderations paper in that subject. This year's paper addressed some especially controversial topics, such as the measure of proof required for consent in rape cases and whether theft and burglary occur when a person uses a hotel’s facilities but is not a guest.

Katie commented:

"Receiving a high mark in one of the core papers was a pleasant surprise in itself; being awarded the Slaughter and May Prize was an additional honour that I could never have imagined receiving. One of the best parts of studying at Merton is the sense of community between past and present first-year lawyers. Being able to ask for advice from a wide variety of exceptionally talented students, both those in my year and in the years above, provides us all with an excellent support system. Moreover, seeing the success of the older lawyers certainly encouraged all the first years to strive to match their achievements in our Law Moderations.

"Hence while it is an honour to have received the prize, the fact that this is the second time in two years that a Mertonian has won it says more about the culture and the attitude of the lawyers at the college than about my own abilities."

As well as the honour of the award, Katie will receive a prize of £100. After her undergraduate degree, she hopes to remain in Oxford to study for her BCL, with the aim of becoming a London-based barrister. "I'm not yet sure whether I will continue down the criminal law route or whether I will enjoy commercial law more" said Katie, adding, "If I choose to become a criminal law barrister, it would be in a field such as domestic abuse or sexual assault."