A WOMAN from East Lancashire has been awarded a prestigious Inns of Court scholarship that will allow her to train to become a barrister.

Sasha Lowe, 22, from Colne, was awarded the scholarship thanks to her intellectual ability, motivation to succeed and her potential as an advocate.

Miss Lowe, who attended Fisher More High School and Nelson and Colne College before studying law at the University of Law, Leeds, will now complete her barrister practice course with all her fees paid for by Middle Temple, one of the four Inns of Court in London which is entitled to call members to the bar.

She said: “I am very proud to be a working class and first generation university student.”

She added: “I believe very strongly in fair access to justice so I will be outspoken on the cuts which the criminal justice system has faced.”

Miss Lowe, who now plans to practise criminal law, credited the anonymous author known as The Secret Barrister, who has lifted the lid on the inner workings of the justice system through a series of books, articles and blog posts, with sparking her interests in this area.

Middle Temple has awarded around £1.25 million in scholarships so far in 2021 and awards the funding based on the written and oral skills potential candidates show as well as personal qualities such as self-reliance, independence and integrity.

Miss Lowe won her scholarship after displaying these qualities during the early stages of her career.

As well as being awarded the highest grades in her university group for her litigation and evidence exam, Miss Lowe graduated with a first class degree during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.

She has also spent time advising people from similar working class backgrounds to her on how they can take their first steps in the legal profession and has helped with university applications.