Scholarship in honour of Solomons
A NEW scholarship for promising law students has been set up in memory of Daniel Solomons, who died in 2013 while preparing for the NSW Bar Exams.
The Daniel Solomons Memorial Scholarship at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) will make the study of law accessible for candidates who demonstrate personal courage; seeking knowledge and enlightenment despite personal and financial challenges.
The scholarship was launched last week at a dinner attended by, among others, Justice Michael Kirby who was the guest speaker for the evening.
The Solomons family decided setting up a scholarship was “the most appropriate and meaningful way to honour Daniel”.
“Daniel was a talented lawyer who was enamoured with the law,” his mother Sandra said. “The scholarship is a way to pay it forward, shine the light and pass on the legacy of living, loving and respect of the law.”
She said Daniel had “tremendous personal qualities”, and that personal courage and enlightenment were qualities that he demonstrated throughout his life.
“The love of learning, love of law and social justice are qualities that will live on in Daniel’s honour,” she said.
A representative of the Solomons family will sit on the selection panel to decide the recipient of the scholarship.
“I think he would be honoured and humbled by this memorial scholarship,” Sandra said of her son. “I think he would endorse this initiative wholeheartedly and smile to himself to know that his family understood what was really important to him.”
“Among the many students who come through law school, a few stand out,” dean of law at UNSW Professor David Dixon told The AJN. “Daniel was one of these – a brilliant, charismatic young man whose talent as lawyer was matched by his ability as a writer.”
Dixon said the scholarship tells young people that they can come to a law school “whatever the obstacles life has put in their way”.
“The scholarship in Daniel’s memory also reminds all of us who are associated with the legal profession to renew efforts to improve mental health, to challenge the stigma of mental illness, and to help those suffering from it,” he added.
Daniel completed a combined arts/law degree at UNSW, with a major in English. He graduated, with first class honours in law, in 2008.
He passed away on April 23, 2013 at the age of 28.
To donate to the memorial scholarship, visit www.law.unsw.edu.au/solomons.
Lifeline: 13 11 14.
EVAN ZLATKIS
A new scholarship has been set up in memory of Daniel Solomons.
comments