If anyone is considering applying to enrol on the February 2009 intake of the 
LLM Information Rights Law and Practice offered by Northumbria University, or 
knows of a colleague who is considering making such an application, please 
read the following.  This provides details of bursary funding that will be made 
available to 2 students who enrol on this programme and commence their 
studies in February 2009.


LLM INFORMATION RIGHTS LAW AND PRACTICE
FEBRUARY 2009 INTAKE BURSARY


Northumbria University School of Law have recently been awarded funding to 
develop a Centre for Information Rights Law.  The Centre will provide open 
access to essential Information Rights Law resources, provide opportunities for 
dissemination of research to academics, practitioners and students, and assist 
Information Rights Law students in engaging with research.   The Centre will 
be supported by academics from Northumbria University School of Law in 
conjunction with solicitors from Dickinson Dees, and Northumbria University’s 
School of Computing, Engineering and Information Sciences.

Northumbria University Law School proposes to offer two students on its 
highly acclaimed LLM Information Rights Law and Practice programme the 
opportunity to become involved in the development of the Information Rights 
Law Centre.  Students will need to be enrolled on the LLM to commence their 
studies in February 2009.  They will also receive an exemption from the first  
year of  the LLM Fees.  Further details of the bursary are provided below.


BURSARY BENEFITS 

Each student will benefit from:

•	A bursary equivalent to the first year’s fees payable by students 
enrolling on the LLM Information Rights Law and Practice.  In effect each 
bursary student is exempted from paying £1998, which is the sum payable in 
relation to the first year of the LLM programme.  Each bursary student will be 
required to pay the second year’s fees, of £1998 in order to complete their 
LLM programme.  The second year’s fees can be paid in instalments. 

•	The opportunity to participate in, and attend organised events held 
by the Centre such as seminars, short courses and conferences.  They will 
receive free places for any such events.  The Third Northumbria Information 
Rights Law Conference will take place in April 2009.  It is planned to run 2 
additional networking seminars in January and March 2009. The cost of 
attending the conference and seminars has already been taken into account 
when calculating the amount of the bursaries and no additional expenses will 
be paid in respect of travel to these activities.

•	The opportunity to discuss current issues in information rights law 
and practice with academics and practitioners, to experience and feed into 
research at first hand should each bursary student so wish.

•	The opportunity to foster close links and maintain regular contact 
with academics from the LLM programme who are also involved with the 
Centre.  As the LLM programme is offered on a distance learning basis there is 
no requirement for the bursary students to attend at Northumbria University 
on a regular basis.  Unless the bursary students are local to Northumbria, we 
would therefore expect that contact would take place primarily via email and 
telephone, although an initial induction session with academics from the 
Centre, could be scheduled to take place, directly before the initial LLM study 
day or at another mutually convenient time.

•	The opportunity to contribute to the development of resources 
available to students on the LLM and the wider information rights community 

•	Access to a range of internet databases throughout the LLM 
programme of study.  Access will also be provided to a range of university 
services including the library and IT support services.


BURSARY CONDITIONS

We expect the two successful bursary students to:

•	Be interested in the field of Information Rights Law

•	Have applied to or have already enrolled on the LLM Information 
Rights Law and Practice programme to commence their studies in February 
2009.

•	Have current experience in the field of information rights law and 
practice.  

•	Have an understanding of current issues in the field of information 
rights law

•	Be able to contribute to discussions on how the Centre can best 
facilitate access to information rights law materials and therefore to develop 
knowledge and understanding of the area (the Centre’s Mission is to advance 
understanding of information rights law).  Prior to commencing the LLM the 
applicants will undoubtedly have an awareness of some of the current 
resources available for information rights students and practitioners.  The 
applicants will be asked to prepare a report at the end of their first year of 
study on the LLM highlighting any issues that they have identified in relation 
to accessing materials, and will be invited to offer suggestions as to how the 
website could further assist in this regard. 

•	Be motivated to extend their own knowledge and understanding of 
Information Rights Law, and its application  in practice

•	Have an interest in engaging with current academic research and 
writing in this field.  (Evidence of prior research or development of policy in 
the area will be taken into account but will not be determinative of the 
application).

•	Demonstrate an ability to work under the instruction of, and in 
collaboration with the LLM staff who are developing the Centre for Information 
Rights Law and Practice

•	Be able to commit to spending 60 hours in the year February 2009-
February 2010 undertaking work for the Centre as detailed below

•	Demonstrate an ability to assist the centre, under appropriate 
supervision, in the following manner:

•	Both students will be involved in preparation of a report reflecting on 
current information rights law sources and materials available via the Centre 
website and more widely.  The report should consider briefly how the Centre 
might further improve the provision it offers to students, practitioners and 
academics, through its website, conferences, seminars and publications.  It is 
expected that in undertaking this report the two bursary students will work 
together and with Centre staff.  To collate information for the report the 
applicants may seek assistance from other LLM students through the 
discussion boards, or indeed may seek information from work colleagues. They 
may also need to consider how non-lawyers might best access legal sources 
without having undertaken a legal research module of the sort offered to LLM 
students.

•	Each student will be asked to attend and prepare a report 
commenting on the papers presented and the issues discussed at either the 
3rd information rights law conference to be held on 17 April 2009 or the 2nd 
networking seminar to be hosted by the Centre, considering the lessons the 
Scottish and English jurisdictions can learn from each other. It is hoped that 
both students will attend both the conference and the seminar.  (The costs of 
travel have already been taken into account when calculating the fee 
reduction).  The student who prepares the seminar report will also be asked to 
make a monthly check whether the links on the website remain up to date and 
where links have been moved they will be asked to notify the member of the 
Centre responsible for that subject area 

•	Each student will be asked to undertake a watching brief in relation 
to developing information rights case law.  One student will be asked to make 
a monthly check of tribunal decisions and prepare a list identifying cases and 
the area of information rights law to which they relate 
(FOIA/DPA/EIR/Confidentiality/HRA/other) for circulation to Centre members  
whilst the other will be asked to make a monthly check of the Information 
Commissioner’s site for new decisions and materials and preparation of a similar 
case list and updater for circulation to Centre members 

•	Each student will be asked to provide assistance to one of two 
members of the Centre staff who will be collating material for the purpose of 
researching and writing an article for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.  
Specifically it is anticipated that the student will (a) discuss with the 
academic the area of law to be researched and the specific focus of the 
article, with a view to ensuring that the area of research is of mutual interest 
and (b) undertaking no more than 2 days work undertaking research and 
collating sources under the direction of the academic.  The student’s 
assistance with the work will be specifically recognised in any publication that 
results from the research.

 
It would also be desirable for the applicant to be able to demonstrate their 
commitment to engage fully in the LLM Information Rights Law and Practice 
programme during and upon completion of the initial bursary period.  This will 
include a commitment  to comply with all relevant academic programme and 
university regulations, and to submit such coursework as is required in order to 
complete the programme.  It would be anticipated that such a committed 
student would attend each of the 6 study days which are offered during the 
LLM.  These study days serve as an excellent opportunity to meet members of 
staff, to discuss academic issues with fellow students, and to learn from guest 
speakers.  
The estimated travel costs for attending the study days have already been 
incorporated within the fee reduction, and no further costs for attending the 
study days will be paid.



HOW TO APPLY

Applications should be submitted by 5th January 2009 to:

Ms C Bessant
Northumbria University 
School of Law
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE1 8ST

Preliminary enquiries should be made to the same address or by email to 
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Prospective applicants are required to submit the following documents, with a 
covering letter:

•	Their Curriculum vitae
•	A personal statement of no more than 1000 words in which they 
should explain how they meet the bursary conditions and how they will 
contribute to the development of the Information Rights Law Centre
•	Their completed application to the LLM Information Rights Law and 
Practice programme, or, if the application has already been submitted online, 
an indication of the date when the application was submitted.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited for telephone interview in the week 
commencing 19th January 2009. 

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