Gide and Gray’s Inn French English Law Essay Prize

Posted by The Law School

4 August 2025

This prize is open to all individuals who have been in full-time legal education for no more than six years and were still in education during academic year 2024/2025. There is no requirement for entrants to the competition to be a member of Gray’s Inn.

The winner of the competition will receive a prize of £1,500 plus a two-week paid internship with Gide’s London office; the runner-up will receive a prize of £1,000. The winning author’s essay will be published in the Inn’s Student Law Journal and on the Gide website.

For the 2025 prize, the essay question is:

If you were advising an entrepreneur starting up a company that develops and sells AI products would you encourage them to do so under the French or English legal system?

The essay should be the sole creation and original work of the entrant and must not be longer than 2,500 words.

All entries are to be written in English and submitted by email to Gide at essayprize@gide.com by the end of the day on Sunday 14 September 2025.

Further guidance and the competition rules

The Panel of Judges for the 2025 prize is as follows:

Sir Andrew McFarlane (Vice Treasurer of Gray’s Inn and President of the Judging Panel)
Saadia Bhatty (Partner, Gide London)
Michael Butcher (President of the Franco-British Data Society and Bencher of Gray’s Inn)
Michael Collett, KC (Barrister at 20 Essex Chambers and Bencher of Gray’s Inn)
Dr Catherine Pedamon (Senior Lecturer, Westminster Law School)