Bermudian law student Kenlyn Swan has landed a “once in a lifetime” training contract at one of the UK’s leading chambers beginning in October, plus a bursary of $25,000.The pupillage award was founded by the Bermuda Bar Association in conjunction with Carmelite Chambers in London in memory of Dame Lois Browne Evans, who died in 2007.Dame Lois was Bermuda’s first female lawyer, the first black woman elected to Parliament, the first female Attorney General and the first female leader of the Opposition.Carmelite Chambers is one of the largest and longest established chambers in the UK.Its barristers are regularly instructed in high-profile criminal cases nationally and internationally. Competition for pupillages is incredibly fierce as a result, with more than 200 applications for each spot. The Bermuda Bar Association this week named Ms Swan as the recipient of this year’s Dame Lois Browne Evans Pupillage Award.The 41-year-old has already completed the Legal Practice Course the first step towards a career in law. She is the first female winner of the award.She commented: “Whilst employed within the judiciary, I learned of Dame Lois Browne Evans and was deeply impressed by her professionalism, brilliant legal mind, skill and wit in the courtroom. “She became an idol, firing in me a burning desire to join the ranks of the legal profession.“It is therefore a tremendous honour to be granted this pupillage award in her name. I would like to thank both the Bermuda Bar Association and Carmelite Chambers for this unique and invaluable experience.“I thank the Bermuda Bar Association for recognising my hard work and thus selecting me as the 2011 recipient. “I thank Carmelite Chambers for offering such an extraordinary opportunity to Bermudian law students. Carmelite Chambers are involved with high-profile cases in vast areas of criminal law. A pupillage in these prestigious chambers will immeasurably equip me with the skill and knowledge to become a successful member of the Bermuda Bar. For these reasons, I am eternally grateful.”Applications for the 2012 Pupillage Award can be e-mailed to bdabar[AT]logic.bm or mailed to the Bar Association office by February 28, 2012.www.bermudabar.org, www.carmelitechambers.co.uk