UTS's Kurt Cheng named Law Student of the Year

It's an incredible honour to be recognised for this Award. I'm grateful for the teachers who've taught me what I know and for the friends I've shared this five-year journey with.

- Kurt Cheng

Fellow UTS student Samantha Urquhart and recent UTS graduate Derick Luong were also shortlisted in the category.

The Australian Law Awards have been running for 23 years and are a nationally recognised achievement in the Australian legal industry. In the Law Student of the Year category, only ten undergraduate law students across Australia were listed as finalists. The winner was announced at an Awards Gala Dinner on Friday 11 August. 

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education and Students), Professor Kylie Readman congratulated Mr Cheng on his award, saying his success reflected well not just upon himself individually, but also upon the calibre of the UTS Law School and on the university more broadly.

“Kurt is not just a high performing student of the law, he is also an accomplished and well-known student leader at UTS who does much to advance the interests of his fellow students and the faculty to which he belongs. He deserves every accolade.”  

Now in his fifth year of a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Communications and a member of the UTS Council, Kurt Cheng previously served three terms on the UTS Academic Board representing the Faculty. He has engaged in impressive social justice work, particularly UTS’ anti-racism campaign #RacismNotWelcome, and pushed for governance reforms which saw the first Indigenous student elected as a board member to the Academic Board.

“These experiences are grounded in my involvement with the Brennan Justice and Leadership Program, which I encourage every UTS law student to take up while they’re studying,” he says.

Also in her final year of a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Business, finalist Samantha Urquhart agrees with the value of the Leadership Program. “It’s a voluntary program,” she explains, “which seeks to strengthen the justice consciousness and sense of service we bring to our legal studies and professional work.”

Samantha has been heavily involved in a range of social justice programs via UTS Law, including the Allens UTS Law Tech Challenge for Social Justice as well as serving, first as a board member, and now as President of ActivateUTS.

“Through the various social justice programs offered at UTS Law, I have developed a new understanding of what justice is, and the role I can play as a member of the legal profession,” she says.

Appointed to teach at the UTS Faculty of Law at only 22, finalist Derick Luong still lectures for the Faculty whilst also working as a Trainee Legal Counsel at the APP Group.

Having recently completed his Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Business, Derick initially chose UTS for its impressive reputation. “The university is renowned for its pragmatic, progressive and modern law program,” he says, “and is a particular stand-out among Australian law schools as the education is designed to support your professional career. It has supported me to accomplish things I would never have thought possible as a school leaver.”

Samantha agrees. “The supportive, uplifting and collaborative environment instilled at UTS Law is something special,” she says. “The Faculty’s focus on social justice, extracurriculars and community has helped me develop personally and professionally more than I would have expected from a university degree.

“I feel incredibly humbled by the nomination for the Law Awards and see it as a testament to all the people who have poured endless hours into my education,” she adds.

“It’s an honour and privilege to be recognised by my peers,” Kurt agrees. “I’m grateful for the teachers who’ve taught me what I know, and for the friends and peers who I have shared this five-year journey with.”

The Faculty of Law is extremely proud of its students for their achievements too.

"I would like to warmly congratulate Kurt, Samantha and Derick on this impressive nomination,” says Professor Anita Stuhmcke, Dean of the Faculty of Law. “A law degree from the UTS Faculty of Law is highly sought-after and the nominations of three UTS students confirms what we know to be true of the UTS Law degree – that it is high-quality legal education, intellectually rigorous with an emphasis upon skills.”