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Participating in legal essay competitions offers more than just a chance at prize money – it’s a golden opportunity to sharpen your skills, build your network, and ultimately boost your pupillage prospects.
Winning an essay competition is gilt-edged evidence of written advocacy skills. Indeed, the criteria against which chambers assess paper applications frequently reserve marks for essay prizes over and above those given for academic qualifications. With hundreds of applicants competing for a few dozen places at interview, this can be decisive.
Essay prizes can be especially valuable for law conversion students who may have had fewer opportunities to demonstrate their legal writing skills. Additionally, winning a competition in an area of law practiced by your target sets demonstrates an interest in their work and provides a point of discussion at interview.
They are also good networking opportunities. Winners may be featured on social media, invited to meet the judging panel or taken for coffee at the chambers or law firm organising the competition. Some may even offer mini-pupillages to successful entrants.
Last but not least, essay competitions can be valuable in monetary terms. Most offer cash prizes and some reach well into four figures.
Finding a competition to enter can be harder than it sounds. They are not advertised on the tube and the deadlines for entry can slip by unnoticed. In this regard, Lawbore is your friend. The Law Essay Competitions page has an up-to-date list of competitions available to enter. X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, is another good resource. Searching for ‘law essay competition’ or similar will throw up adverts for competitions that may not be publicised elsewhere.
It may be tempting to enter every competition you come across, but such a scattergun approach is unlikely to lead to success. Indeed, you may find yourself with half a dozen half-finished essays which you cannot submit. Writing a winning essay requires time. You are better off focusing on one or two competitions on which you think you have something original to say.
Participating in legal essay competitions offers more than just a chance at prize money – it’s a golden opportunity to sharpen your skills, build your network, and ultimately boost your pupillage prospects.
Winning an essay competition is gilt-edged evidence of written advocacy skills. Indeed, the criteria against which chambers assess paper applications frequently reserve marks for essay prizes over and above those given for academic qualifications. With hundreds of applicants competing for a few dozen places at interview, this can be decisive.
Essay prizes can be especially valuable for law conversion students who may have had fewer opportunities to demonstrate their legal writing skills. Additionally, winning a competition in an area of law practiced by your target sets demonstrates an interest in their work and provides a point of discussion at interview.
They are also good networking opportunities. Winners may be featured on social media, invited to meet the judging panel or taken for coffee at the chambers or law firm organising the competition. Some may even offer mini-pupillages to successful entrants.
Last but not least, essay competitions can be valuable in monetary terms. Most offer cash prizes and some reach well into four figures.
Finding a competition to enter can be harder than it sounds. They are not advertised on the tube and the deadlines for entry can slip by unnoticed. In this regard, Lawbore is your friend. The Law Essay Competitions page has an up-to-date list of competitions available to enter. X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, is another good resource. Searching for ‘law essay competition’ or similar will throw up adverts for competitions that may not be publicised elsewhere.
It may be tempting to enter every competition you come across, but such a scattergun approach is unlikely to lead to success. Indeed, you may find yourself with half a dozen half-finished essays which you cannot submit. Writing a winning essay requires time. You are better off focusing on one or two competitions on which you think you have something original to say.
The Chair of the Bar reports back
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, explains how global events can influence the performance of pensions and ISAs, and why taking a long-term approach to investing is often the most effective strategy
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, discusses what family law professionals need to know about hallucinogens, from the main hallucinogenic drugs encountered in family proceedings, to their effects and the testing options available
Harmony Christian Ministries is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
By David Green
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, examines the forensic science underpinning hair drug testing, its evidential scope and limitations, and why it remains the gold standard for evidencing patterns of drug use in family proceedings
Developing a tech start-up demands a different definition of excellence to the Bar, says Saara Idelbi. The co-creator of Advocatr on entrepreneurship, AI advocacy training, and matching the thrill of a killer cross-examination
At the start of her term, Chair of the Bar 2026 Kirsty Brimelow KC set out a series of priorities for the year ahead. One of those priorities was children in the justice system
As the world becomes more digital, Barbara Vinagre Mota examines international research into the mental health consequences of judges’ exposure to graphic and immersive evidence, highlighting the importance of support systems
Reviewed by Daniel Barnett
James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain until 27 September Rothko in Florence at Palazzo Strozzi until 23 August Reviewed by Stephen Cragg KC
