Law scholarships

Maurice McNamara Law Scholarship

USQ in 2012, will offer one Maurice McNamara Law Scholarship to an undergraduate student commencing full-time or part-time, on-campus or through distance education or external study at USQ Springfield Campus. The Scholarship is awarded in the first Semester to a student pursuing a degree in Law.

The Scholarship is in memory of Maurice McNamara who established the firm McNamara and Associates Lawyers in Ipswich which has been operating for more than 70 years. Now with offices also located in Gatton and Springfield the firm specialises in the areas of Personal Injury Litigation, Commercial Law, Conveyance, Family and Commercial Law, and Wills and Estates.

Scholarship value

The student who is awarded the Scholarship will receive a maximum value of $4,000 for the year. In addition, the successful applicant may be offered professional work experience of up to 5 days in the year of the award, as mutually arranged.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

be an Australian citizen or have permanent resident status
be commencing a bachelor degree in Law at USQ Springfield
be intending to study full-time, on-campus, beginning Semester 1, 2012
live in the Greater Ipswich, Gatton or Lockyer Valley regions.

Conditions

Applications must be received by the closing date and in writing on the USQ application form provided
Maximum of six (6) short-listed applicants
The duration of the Scholarship is for one year
Scholarships recipients may be asked to participate, for not more than 20 hours, in the year of receipt of their scholarship, in assisting to promote USQ as required
Recipients may be asked to participate in focus group research
The Scholarship will be forfeited if, during the Scholarship period, the recipient:

changes their mode of study from on-campus to external or full-time to part-time study, unless exceptional circumstances prevent full-time study
defers their program of study
withdraws from study at USQ Springfield
changes their program outside of Law
fails to maintain a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 5.0.

Scholarships are not transferable to other students in any circumstances
One Scholarship will be awarded each year to the applicant deemed most deserving by the Scholarship selection panel. The decision of the panel is final.
McNamara & Associates and USQ reserve the right to alter the conditions of the Scholarship based upon exceptional circumstances
McNamara & Associates and USQ reserve the right to not award the Scholarship in a given year.
Scholarship recipients may be asked to participate in work experience as mutually agreed upon between McNamara & Associates and the Scholarship recipient within the year of the Scholarship.

Payment

The Scholarship will be paid in a stipend of $2,000 per semester for two semesters, beginning in Semester 1 after the last date to drop courses.
The Scholarship will be paid directly to the recipient in a nominated bank account, by electronic funds transfer (EFT)
Payment of the second instalment will be subject to satisfactory progress in the recipient’s study program. In this case, recipients may be required to show cause for why the scholarship should not be cancelled.

Selection criteria

Applicants must:

include in their personal statement an explanation (max. 1 page) of how the Scholarship will assist them to achieve their future plans
provide evidence of academic achievement, e.g. High School academic transcript or other post-secondary studies as applicable
provide evidence of financial hardship e.g. Centrelink documents (if not supported by Centrelink you may express your financial situation in your personal statement)
meet the eligibility requirements outlined above.

Applications

To apply for this Scholarship you must complete the USQ Scholarship Application Form (PDF* 158KB), and forward the application and all supporting documents to:

Private and Confidential
The Scholarships Officer
Student Services
University of Southern Queensland
West Street
Toowoomba QLD 4350

Applicants completing Year 12 in 2011 must also attach a Statement of Support (PDF 162KB*) with their application.

Applicants may be required for an interview. Successful applicants will be advised by mail.

Closing date

Applications must be received by 5.00pm Friday 28 October 2011.

Further information

University of Southern Queensland
Phone: 1800 269 500
Email: study@usq.edu.au
Web: www.usq.edu.au/scholarships

*This file is in Portable Document Format (PDF) which requires the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader. A free copy of Acrobat Reader may be obtained from Adobe. Users who are unable to access information in PDF should contact Customer Relationship Management Centre, telephone 1800 269 500 to obtain this information in an alternative format.