Pembroke Scholars and Exhibitioners Explore Competition Law: Scholars Lecture and Dinner 2025

In November, our newest Scholars and Exhibitioners were formally admitted in an evening dedicated to celebrating the talent and success of Pembroke undergraduates who have excelled in public examinations, as well as those in receipt of a music or choral scholarship at Pembroke.

Joined by the Master and a number of Fellows, our Scholars and Exhibitioners gathered in the Pichette Auditorium to begin the evening with a lecture from new Fellow and Tutor in Law, Dr Or Brook.

Speaking on ‘Free Markets, Coordination, and the Societal Role of Firms: The Role of Non-Competition Interests in EU and UK Competition Law’, Dr Brook presented her book, which offers the first empirical study of how non-competition interests shape the enforcement of EU competition law. The book draws on a unique dataset of more than 3,100 cases from the European Commission, EU Courts, and national authorities and courts in France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, and the UK to explore both the visible and the more hidden ways in which public-policy considerations influence decisions on anti-competitive agreements.

The lecture concluded with a discussion of the resistance found in some European jurisdictions to certain forms of empirical-legal research, and how this affects the study and evaluation of law. In the Q&A time that followed, students from a wide range of disciplines reflected on the lecture, applying their own perspectives from fields including sustainability, medicine, food systems, modern languages and more.

At the end of the lecture, new Scholars and Exhibitioners were invited to stand as the Master read the Latin oath, a historic tradition which every year formally inducts these students to their new status. The evening continued with the traditional formal dinner in Hall, which sees new Scholars and Exhibitioners parade in to the applause of their peers, marking their welcome into the community of Pembroke Scholars and Exhibitioners. 

Earlier this year we were delighted to announce that alumnus Chris Rokos would generously fund the Rokos Awards, given each year to our Scholars and Exhibitioners in recognition of their high achievements. You can read more about the Rokos Awards and Rokos Internship scheme here.

We are enormously proud of the achievement of our students and were once again thrilled to recognise with them in this way. The full list of 2025-26 Scholars and Exhibitioners can be found below. 

SCHOLARS

EXHIBITIONERS

ORGAN SCHOLARS

CHORAL SCHOLARS