Bracewell Essay Competition 2009

Family Law are delighted to announce that it is co-sponsoring the Bracewell Essay Prize for the second year running. The winning prize will be £4,000 and the runner's up prize will be £1,000.

The competition is open to all members of the Family Law Bar Association who are less than six years call on 9 October 2009.

The subject this year is "Openness in Family Justice - Where should the balance fall?"

The FLBA have secured the assistance of eminent lawyers to act as judges of the competition. The Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Wall and Professor John Eekelar of Pembroke College Oxford have agreed to be the judges this year. The winning entry will be published in the FLBA magazine, Family Affairs, and may also be published in Family Law.

The FLBA set up the essay competition in memory of Dame Joyanne Bracewell DBE who died on 9 January 2007. Dame Joyanne was described by the President of the Family Division, Sir Mark Potter, as "universally admired and respected for the quality of her decisions and the fairness, humanity and extreme care which she invariably displayed in reaching them". She was always ready to help young members of the Bar and took great pleasure in encouraging and supporting their progress.

Entries should be sent to Carol Harris by no later than 4.00pm on 9 October 2009. The prizes will be awarded at this year's FLBA Annual Conference on 28 November 2009.

The rules of the competition can be found on the FLBA's website.