In May 2025, we announced the winner of our law undergraduate essay competition 2025.
With the ILBF celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and reflecting on past achievements in support of the rule of law and access to justice worldwide, this year’s essay competition asked entrants to look to the future and consider the question:
‘What will be the challenges to the rule of law in the next 20 years?’
We received a record response from law undergraduates at 26 universities across the UK. The entries demonstrated a strong level of engagement with a complex question, which was not easy to tackle in 1,000 words. The judges were impressed by the depth of research and the ideas presented.
After two rounds of judging by our panel of academic and legal experts, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, Lord Carnwath of Notting Hill CVO and Yasmin Batliwala MBE, Chief Executive of Advocates for International Development (A4ID), selected the winning essay, written by Sean Xue at the University of York.
To continue this important discussion and to contribute to the ongoing debate, we have collated some of the key themes and highlights from across the competition entries in this grand summary.
Key themes
There were a number of themes, issues and concerns raised among the submissions, in particular:
- Rule of law: Naturally, this was top of the agenda as the central theme of the discussion topic. Before getting into the challenges facing the rule of law, a number of essays discussed the meaning of the rule of law itself and the importance of proper understanding, trust and belief in it. Linked to this was the importance of a shared legal culture for the rule of law’s legitimacy, underpinned by public trust in legal institutions, and placed at risk by the erosive impact of misinformation.
- Technology: The influence of technology on the legal system is a hot topic which was raised in many of the submissions. Points discussed included the rapid development and adoption of AI, automated decision-making, digitalisation, and surveillance technologies. Essays discussed both the opportunities and the threats of technological disruption, highlighting the role of transparency and regulation in addressing the legal and ethical risks.
- Equality and human rights: Many entries discussed the protection of and challenges to fundamental human rights in the context of the rule of law. Discussions on equality before the law and non-discrimination also raised important associated issues, such as the link between economic inequality and two-tier justice, where wealthier individuals have better access to legal remedies than others based on personal means.
- Access to justice: The need for transparent and accessible legal systems, and the barriers to achieving this, were discussed. The impact of legal aid cuts was also a recurring theme, with court backlogs and the rise of litigants in person seen as a threat both to equality before the law and the practical application of the rule of law.
- Judicial independence: The importance of an independent judiciary was highlighted in several essays, with concerns raised around constitutional integrity, due process, and democratic erosion. Increasing dominance of the executive and the tension between parliamentary sovereignty and the separation of powers was a recurring concern.
- Politics and populism: The role and influence of political institutions were discussed, with concerns over the rise of populist rhetoric, attacks on legal institutions, and the global trend toward authoritarian governance cited as undermining the rule of law, both in the UK and internationally.
- International law: The interaction between national and international legal frameworks was a common topic of discussion. The weakening of international legal institutions, selective enforcement, and the decline of multilateralism were also raised as threats to the global rule of law.
- Environmental law: The role of environmental law and the challenges posed by climate change over the next two decades were also highlighted, taking us back to some of the issues discussed in our 2023 essay competition.
Key action points
As well as detailed analysis of a range of challenges, there were also a number of suggested actions and responses. We have selected some examples below:
- Bolster public legal literacy: Increase public awareness and understanding of the rule of law and its importance to democracy and society. Improve education on the rule of law and legal rights. Combat misinformation and promote transparency in legal processes.
- Regulate emerging technologies: Establish clear legal frameworks for AI, ensure transparency, develop consistent data protection and algorithmic fairness standards to address issues of bias.
- Restore and expand legal aid: Reform the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. Address the justice gap through restoration of funding, recruitment, and training.
- Safeguard judicial independence: Protect courts from political interference and public delegitimisation. Ensure meaningful scrutiny of executive powers, safeguard against executive overreach, and protect the separation of powers.
- Strengthen international legal mechanisms: Enhance cooperation between global courts and institutions. Reinforce multilateral legal frameworks and support the enforcement of international law. Promote binding enforcement of international human rights obligations.
- Address environmental and climate justice: Integrate environmental justice into domestic and international legal agendas. Create robust legal mechanisms for environmental protection, climate migration and emergency powers.
Key takeaways and observations
Many stress that the rule of law is not an automatic safeguard—it must be understood, maintained and protected. Likewise, there is common recognition that the law cannot solve all challenges alone—interdisciplinary approaches including ethics, political science, and public policy are essential. Several essays also highlighted the cultural and moral dimensions of legal legitimacy—the rule of law depends as much on civic trust as on doctrinal precision.
A key thread throughout is the need for the rule of law—and our understanding of it—to continue to adapt and evolve, particularly given the pace of technological, environmental and cultural change.
Closing thoughts
The judging panel praised the depth of thought shown across the submissions. Here are just a few insights shared by our finalists:
Announcing the winning entry at the ILBF’s 20th anniversary event on 14th May 2025, the Rt Hon. Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales, noted: “how encouraging it is that so many students did really engage with this important and existential question. It is I think a question for all of us to reflect on and to think about our role as lawyers in standing up for the rule of law.”
With this in mind, once again we congratulate our competition winner, Sean Xue, runner-up, Hannah Zia and their fellow competition finalists, Haseeb Haraj and Aiko Yeo, for their excellent submissions.
During the 2025 essay competition, Yasmin Batliwala MBE, one of our final round judges, urged students to: “step up, write boldly, and be part of something bigger.” We commend all of this year’s competition entrants for taking up the challenge.
Further resources
Acknowledgements
Thanks again to our judging panel:
- The Rt Hon. Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, former Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, founder and Patron of the ILBF
- The Rt Hon. Lord Carnwath of Notting Hill CVO, former Supreme Court Justice, Visiting Professor in Practice at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, and founding member of the EU Forum of Judges for the Environment, and of the Global Institute of Judges for the Environment
- Yasmin Batliwala MBE, Chief Executive of Advocates for International Development (A4ID)
- Jane Colston, Brown Rudnick and ILBF Trustee
- Sophia Dirir, Head of Legal, Cancer Research UK, ILBF trustee
- Fernanda Pirie, Professor of the Anthropology of Law, University of Oxford
- Katrina Crossley, Chief Executive of the ILBF
- Ellen Lake, Rio Tinto, ILBF Operating Committee
- Chiara Iorizzo, Skadden
- Goviintha Krishnan, President, The United Kingdom & Eire Malaysian Law Students’ Union
Thanks also to Brown Rudnick for sponsoring this year’s competition, to Clifford Chance for hosting the ILBF’s 20th anniversary celebrations, and to Baroness Carr for opening our competition and announcing the result.
“My thanks to the team at LexisNexis for producing this excellent summary of the essays – it makes a great contribution to the ongoing dialogue, informing and highlighting the challenges to the rule of law. We are grateful to our partners, funders, volunteers and supporters who have helped the ILBF to make a real impact on legal education, judicial training and access to justice over the last 20 years. Having taken time to reflect on the challenges ahead during this year’s competition, we are resolute in our mission and look forward to continuing our work in partnership with the legal community.”
—Katrina Crossley, Chief Executive, ILBF.
