University scholarships and competitions

Matheson is delighted to launch its 2026 Tim Scanlon Corporate Law Bursary, which honours late Matheson partner and former Chairperson, Tim Scanlon. Established since 2022, the bursary is delivered as part of Matheson’s Impactful Business Programme and is open to undergraduate and postgraduate law students.

As part of our commitment to developing exceptional talent and providing equal opportunity within the legal profession, the Tim Scanlon Corporate Law Bursary presents students with a fantastic opportunity to receive mentoring opportunities, a piece of Irish art or craft, as well as financial support. The recipient of the Tim Scanlon Corporate Law Bursary will receive:

• a bursary of €5,000;
• an internship placement in Matheson’s Corporate department; and
• in recognition of Tim’s passion for the arts, a piece of Irish art or craft in lieu of a bursary award trophy.

Application Details

Applicants must submit an essay of 1,200 words (excluding footnotes of reasonable length and citations) discussing one of the following topic:

“Increased sustainability reporting has transformed corporate disclosure obligations.”

Does the EU regulatory framework in its current form strike the right balance for Irish companies?

Eligibility

Applicants must be based in a university, college of education, or equivalent third level institution on the island of Ireland.

Applications close 27 March 2026.

Register now for the Matheson University Challenge 2026

The Matheson University Challenge has been designed to give you the opportunity to work with peers from other universities across Ireland while building on some core skills including communication, presentations and innovation while engaging with one of Irelands largest corporate law firms.

This competition is open to all university students across Ireland, and aims to bring together students with innovative ideas on how law firms can adapt to future legal landscapes.

The challenge:

Candidates are asked to register before Friday 20 February 2026. Following your registration, you will be contacted by Matheson to confirm your interest in partaking in our 2026 Matheson University Challenge.

Participants will be assigned to a team made up of students from a variety of universities across Ireland, and will be required to work together to create a 4 minute video in response to the following question:

‘As the expectations of modern lawyers and the legal sector evolve, how should law firms redesign their talent strategies to build new capabilities, nurture a strong learning culture, and prepare early career lawyers for a more complex, tech enabled practice in 2030.’

The top entries will be shortlisted for the Matheson University Challenge final, where teams will be invited into Matheson to pitch to a panel of experts, and will be in with the chance to win €5,000.

Key dates:

• Friday, 20 February – Closing date for registrations
• Tuesday 24 February – Matheson University Challenge teams will be confirmed
• Wednesday, 10 March – Closing date for team video submissions
• Wednesday, 18 March – Teams shortlisted for the Matheson University Challenge final will be announced
• Thursday, 26 March – Matheson University Challenge Final

Applications close 20 February 2026.

The Matheson Cara Scholarship is delivered as part of our Impactful Business Programme and is named in honour of late Matheson partner, Cara O’Hagan. At Matheson, Diversity is one of our core values and the promotion of both diversity and inclusion across our business, and the wider legal profession is a key priority for us.  This scholarship is dedicated to creating opportunities, fostering talent and supporting university students to succeed in their early careers.

The scholarship is open to second year undergraduate students in TCD, including students on the Higher Education Access Route or the Disability Access Route to Education schemes, mature students and students who face barriers in third level education.

The Matheson Cara Scholarship is just one of Matheson’s many Impactful Business Programme initiatives, which encompass the firm’s diversity and inclusion, arts, environmental sustainability, and corporate social responsibility initiatives, together with its pro bono and employee wellbeing activities.

The Matheson Cara Scholarship for 2026 is now closed. Applications for the 2027 Cara Scholarship will open to Trinity College Dublin students again in October 2026.