Marshall Scholars with a legal leaning

Legal Marshall Schoiars What do Supreme Court Judges, University Deans and a Deputy Attorney General have in common? The answer is that they are all Marshall Scholars.

Marshall Scholarships are a fantastic funding opportunity enabling US postgraduate students to study at any British university in almost any subject area including postgraduate law.

The list of Marshall alumni is an impressive one and with the deadline of the 2025 Marshall Scholarships fast approaching – on Tuesday 24th September – in this blog we’re going to take a look at some of the alumni with a legal leaning in a bit more detail.

Supreme Court Justice – Justice Stephen Breyer was born in San Francisco in 1938. He studied Philosophy at Stanford University and then became a Marshall Scholar at the University of Oxford, where he earned a second degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). He later graduated from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Breyer was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton in 1994, serving until his retirement in 2022.

Political Advisor – Katie Beirne Fallon was born in Ohio in the mid-1970s. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Government and International Studies. She then studied Comparative Politics at Queen’s University Belfast and LSE (London School of Economics) – both on a Marshall Scholarship. She was a White House Director of Legislative Affairs under President Barack Obama.

Policy Fellow & Lawyer – Richard Cordray was born in Ohio in 1959 and is an American lawyer and public servant. He studied a degree in Legal and Political Theory at Michigan State University and then went to the University of Oxford as a Marshall Scholar, where he studied PPE. Following his stint in the UK, he studied a JD at the University of Chicago Law School. Appointed by President Obama to head up a consumer watchdog bureau, Cordray played a key role in shaping and enforcing consumer protection laws in the US.

Law School Dean – Kathleen Sullivan was born in 1955 in Michigan and works as a lawyer and senior counsel. Following her graduation from Cornell University, Sullivan studied PPE at the University of Oxford as a Marshall Scholar, before returning to the US and attending Harvard Law School. She served as Dean of Stanford Law School from 1999 to 2004, and remained on their faculty until 2012.

Deputy Attorney General – Born in Chicago in 1966, Mark Filip is an American lawyer, judge and former federal prosecutor. Filip graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1988 with degrees in Economics and History. He then attended the University of Oxford on a Marshall Scholarship, graduating in Law. In 1992, Filip graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of Harvard Law Review. Filip held the position of Deputy Attorney General under President George W Bush, he also served as the Acting Attorney General of the United States in 2009 under President Obama.

Law Professor – Jennifer Daskal, born in 1972, is the Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Tech, Law and Security Program at the Washington College of Law at American University, where her work focuses on terrorism, national security and criminal law. After completing her undergraduate degree at Brown University, Daskal went to the University of Cambridge as a Marshall Scholar. After graduating she returned to the US to study at Harvard Law School. Jennifer Daskal is currently serving as Principal Deputy Legal Advisor and Special Assistant to the President.

This is just a small selection of the exceptional Marshall Alumni that have entered into law-related fields, providing a brief look at what they have achieved with the help of a Marshall Scholarship.

Marshall Scholarships – a summary

Marshall Scholarships are prestigious awards that provide fully funded tuition for exceptional US students to pursue postgraduate studies at any university in the UK. Established in 1953, Marshall Scholarships are funded by the British government with the aim of strengthening the bond between the UK and the US. Marshall Scholarships cover tuition fees, living expenses and travel costs for up to two years, with the possibility of a third-year extension.

Find out more and apply now.

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