Catherine Atkinson, the Labour MP for Derby North, is using a libel settlement to establish an award for first-year law students from state schools. Ms Atkinson received damages and costs from the Mail on Sunday after an article in an early edition falsely claimed she had attended a private school.
Associated Newspapers, the publisher, corrected later editions and issued an apology. Ms Atkinson, who was state-educated and worked as a barrister for 17 years, is donating at least £5,000 from the settlement to the Catherine Atkinson Future Lawyers Award, which she is setting up with the University of Derby.
The donation will provide one £500 award each year for at least 10 years. It will be open to first-year law students at the university who were educated at a state school within the city of Derby. The University of Derby stated that details regarding the application process and selection criteria will be announced once arrangements are finalised.
Ms Atkinson said she aims to improve social mobility within the legal profession. A 2025 report by the Bar Standards Board found that 19.3% of the Bar primarily attended an independent secondary school, which it described as a "disproportionately high percentage."