Jack Alexander’s life has changed dramatically since he matriculated at Gonville & Caius College. Jack (Law 2020) became a father for the first time in February 2021 while completing his Masters and returned to Caius in October 2023 for a PhD as a father of two.

He completed his undergraduate degree in law at the University of Auckland and worked as a judicial assistant at the New Zealand Court of Appeal before practising as a litigation solicitor in his native New Zealand. 

Caius’ reputation extends to the Land of the Long White Cloud, or Aotearoa to use New Zealand’s Māori name, with the College colloquially known as Gonville & Kiwis. Jack embarked on his LLM, which started only months after the Covid-19 pandemic began.

Following his graduation, Jack worked as a junior barrister doing commercial court work. But, attracted by a return to the University of Cambridge and academic life for a PhD supervised by Professor Lionel Smith, Jack found himself back at Caius on a W.M. Tapp Studentship.

“We were very keen to come back to Cambridge; we thoroughly enjoyed life at Caius the first time even though it was disrupted with Covid,” Jack says.

“There was a slight sense of unfinished business. The supervisor played a big part – my references were glowing about Lionel. Living in Cambridge with kids, where we’ve got friends and can build new friendships, was a big appeal as well.”

Jack’s wife, Rachel, is a lawyer and the pair met as undergraduates in Auckland. She plans to return to work in 2024. 

The couple’s first child was born part-way through the LLM and is nearly three. He is often seen in full Spiderman costume on Saturdays at brunch, which is a family-friendly occasion. Their younger child was born in spring 2023.

They are making use of the College nursery, where academics, students and staff have priority places, and have accommodation in the heart of the city, above Rose Crescent.

“It’s a fantastic College to be in with the kids. We’re close to the College, have excellent family accommodation and priority access at the Nursery. It’s a very nice community, with academics’ kids and other students’ kids going there,” Jack adds.

Jack is impressed by the University’s Newcomers and Visiting Scholars group, which provides social opportunities for families.

“There’s a really good student community, not only for me, but for my wife, who has met lots of new people with young families,” he adds.

There is no straightforward time to begin to raise a family, but Jack is grateful for the flexibility of academic life, particularly after the rigours of barrister work in Auckland.

Longer-term Jack can envisage combining being a barrister with academic work. For now, he is content in Cambridge and at Caius.

“We absolutely love it here and it’s the perfect place to raise kids,” Jack adds.