We are delighted that The Rt. Hon. Lord Burnett of Maldon, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, is launching the ILBF’s law undergraduate essay competition 2022-2023 today.
The ILBF’s law undergraduate essay competition is a fantastic opportunity to win a great prize and to engage with a subject that will be relevant to future practice as a lawyer.
Watch the launch here.
The subject for the essay competition 2022-2023 is the climate emergency. COP27 has just ended and the scale of the challenge facing the world is only too evident: rising global average temperatures and sea levels, biodiversity loss, extreme weather events, water and food insecurity, the challenge of decarbonisation. This year COP27 hosted the first ever Children and Youth Pavilion, recognising how critical it is to hear and act on the voices of young people. It goes without saying that the climate emergency will impact the work of the lawyers of the future, in private practice, in-house, in NGOs, in academia and in government.
The essay question we invite law undergraduates to answer in 1000 words is:
What difference can lawyers make in tackling the climate emergency?
The prize for the winning essay is:
- A week’s internship in summer 2023, comprising a day at international law firm Latham & Watkins’s London office as an intern, and four days with the PSL environment team at LexisNexis, and up to £500 in expenses
- Publication of the winning essay in ThoughtLeaders 4 FIRE May 2023 edition
- Publication of the winning essay on the ILBF’s website
The two best runners up essays will also be published on the ILBF website.
In addition, we will collate the ideas and insights from all entrants into a grand summary to be shared on the ILBF website and with legal media, to help stimulate debate around the role of lawyers and the climate emergency.
A team of judges from across the legal profession will select the best essays for final judging by The Rt. Hon. Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, former Lord Chief Justice and ILBF founder and patron, and The Rt. Hon. Lord Carnwath of Notting Hill CVO, former Supreme Court Justice, and founding member of the EU Forum of Judges for the Environment, and of the Global Institute of Judges on the Environment.
The law undergraduate essay competition is open to all law undergraduates studying in the UK. The essay competition details are set out on this page, including how to enter, key dates and how to contact us if you have any questions.
Follow the ILBF on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook for updates and information about future online events in support of the competition.
We look forward to reading you essays and we wish every entrant the best of luck!
We are very grateful to Latham & Watkins for sponsoring the law undergraduate essay competition 2022-2023.
