Awards and competitions
Further information about the eligibility criteria and deadlines for submission of applications is available below.
Junior Lawyers Division Pro Bono Awards 2008
The IBA Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Award 2008
Graham Turnbull Essay competition 2008
Previous awards and competitions:
Young Lawyers Pro Bono Awards 2007
Junior Lawyers Division Pro Bono Awards 2008
The Law Society’s Junior Lawyers Division has opened nominations for the 10th annual Pro Bono Awards.
Previously known as the Young Solicitors Group Awards, the JLD Pro Bono Awards are open to:
- LPC students
- Trainee solicitors
- Solicitors up to five years qualified.
Nominations will be judged in the following categories:
- Solicitor - local projects (projects undertaken by a solicitor assisting individuals or groups based in the UK)
- Solicitor - international projects (projects undertaken by a solicitor assisting individuals or groups outside the UK)
- Solicitor - team (projects undertaken by a group of solicitors assisting individuals or groups whether based in the UK or abroad)
- Trainee (projects undertaken by an individual trainee or group of trainees, whether the project is based in the UK or abroad)
- Student (projects undertaken by an individual student or group of students, whether the project is based in the UK or abroad)
The awards recognise and celebrate the valuable work of students, trainees and junior solicitors in providing free legal services to help the most disadvantaged members of the community.
Discretionary cash prizes of up to £1,000 are also available to support the pro bono projects of the winners and the JLD encourages award nominations from anyone who knows of a student, trainee or solicitor contributing to broadening access to justice in their communities through pro bono work.
As in previous years, an additional award - the Wig & Pen Prize - will be presented by the City of London and City of Westminster and Holborn law societies to a junior solicitor practising within either catchment area.
The closing date for nominations is 19 September 2008.
Download the nomination form (PDF, 246kb)
The Awards ceremony will take place on 13 November 2008 during National Pro Bono Week.
The IBA Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Award 2008
The IBA Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year award will be given to a young lawyer anywhere in the world who has shown excellence in their work and achievements in their career to date, and commitment to professional/ethical standards.
The winner will be honoured at the IBA 2008 Annual Conference in Buenos Aires, which runs from 12-17 October 2008.
The judging committee consists of:
- Martin Solc - Kocian Solc Balastik, Prague, Czech Republic; Chair, IBA Public and Professional Interest Division
- Carmen Pombo - Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe , Valencia, Spain; Chair, IBA Young Lawyers Committee
- Henry Z Horbaczewski - Reed Elsevier Inc., New York, USA; Senior Co-Chair, IBA Corporate Counsel Forum.
Read more about the conference
The award includes a free registration to attend the conference, accommodation and travel costs up to $5000, and one years free membership of the IBA, PPID and Young Lawyers' Committee.
Graham Turnbull Essay competition
The International Human Rights Committee of the Law Society together with the Junior Lawyers Division runs an annual human rights essay competition for law students, trainee solicitors and young lawyers in or from England and Wales. The competition is named after Graham Turnbull, an English solicitor, who did much to promote respect for human rights. Graham was killed in 1997, aged 37, while working as a United Nations human rights monitor in Rwanda.
This year’s essay title was ‘Is human rights law relevant in combating poverty and social injustice?’, reflecting the trend amongst human rights organisations of expanding their remit to include economic, social, and cultural rights.
The winning essay was chosen by a panel of distinguished judges, including Joss Saunders, legal adviser and company secretary for Oxfam, and Keir Starmer QC, of Doughty Street Chambers.
The winner of the 2008 award is Ian Clarke, an Oxford graduate called to the bar in 2005 who currently works as in-house counsel at Berrymans Lace Mawer Solicitors. Ian received £500 from the Graham Turnbull Memorial Fund.
Deirdre Malone is the runner-up, and receives £250 from LexisNexis. Deirdre was born in Dublin and studied law at Trinity College. She was called to the bar in 2006 and is currently working at Liberty as an advice and information officer.
The winners received their awards at a prize-giving event held at the Law Society in April 2008.
