UPDATE: The FIDE Essay Prize Competition has been paused for this year’s Congress.

Win a place at the most important conference for European Law!

The FIDE Congress is a biennial event attended by over 500 jurists.

The UKAEL Essay Prize consists of payment of the registration fee for the FIDE Congress plus a bursary for travel and accommodation.

The competition is open to full time law students, trainee solicitors and pupil barristers who are UKAEL members. Entrants must be UK residents and based at UK institutions or firms at the time of the Congress.

Essays of no more than 2000 words (including footnotes) will be judged by a panel from the UKAEL Committee. The winner will be expected to contribute a short written report on the Congress upon return. 

Past Essay Prize Winners

William Spence won a free place at the FIDE Congress in Esotril 2018 with his essay on “The future EU-UK relationship will be like no other – a bold and bespoke new model is therefore needed”. William is currently completing the Graduate Diploma in Law at City University in London. He attended the University of Cambridge for his undergraduate studies in Human, Social and Political Sciences, within which he specialised in European politics and international public law.

John Morgan won a free place at the the FIDE Congress in Budapest 2016 with his essay on “How is the relationship between EU law and member state law conceived by the CJEU, and how can this conception be reconciled with the sovereignty of Parliament in the UK?”. John is a Trainee Solicitor at Brodies LLP in Glasgow. He works in the firm’s employment law division, within which he will continue to work following his qualification later in 2016. He attended the University of Glasgow for his LLB and the University of Edinburgh for his Diploma in Legal Practice, also spending time abroad at the Universities of Toronto, Connecticut and Cagliari where he specialised in International and European Law.

In 2014 the FIDE Essay Prize was won by Niall Coghlan. Niall is a BPTC student at City University. He previously read History at Pembroke College, Cambridge, before completing the law conversion course in 2012. Niall has developed a strong interest in both species of European law, graduating first in his year for EU law and recently winning the European Human Rights Moot in Strasbourg; he aims to build a practice in both at the bar. Niall will undertake a traineeship at the European Court of Human Rights next year.

In 2012 the FIDE Essay Prize went to Elizabeth Kelsey. Elizabeth is currently doing pupillage at Monckton Chambers.  Elizabeth studied Jurisprudence at Harris Manchester College, Oxford, graduating with first class honours in 2008.  She completed the Bar Vocational Course at BPP Law School in 2010 before returning to Oxford to study for the BCL.  Through the course of her studies Elzabeth has developed a keen interest in EU law which she hopes to develop in practice at the bar, particularly in the fields of public law and competition.

In 2010 the FIDE Essay prize went to David Mooney. David Mooney graduated in law at the School of Oriental and African Studies in 2010. He is currently studying French at the University of Nice before interning at law firms in London. David showed a keen interest in EU law which he later followed up with a dissertation in the subject during his final year of study. David hopes to become a solicitor specialising in EU and corporate law.