IAML European Chapter Award For Young Family Lawyers

Introduction

The European Chapter of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers ("IAML") has decided to establish an essay writing award for young family lawyers to be awarded on an annual basis, commencing in 2011.  This will be referred to as the "European Chapter Annual Award for Young Family Lawyers" ("the Award").  The Award aims to promote research and excellence among young family lawyers and to increase awareness among other legal professionals of the work and objectives of the IAML.

Prize

The Award shall consist on an annual basis of a prize sum of €1,000 to the author of the winning essay.  It is proposed to award the first Award at the Annual Meeting of the European Chapter to be held in Strasbourg from 6 to 10 April 2011. The winning essay will be announced approximately three months prior to that meeting.

The winning author will also receive a travel bursary of up to €2,000 to allow him/her travel to attend the meeting.

Selection

A selection panel of the European Chapter will be responsible for the selection of the winning essay. 

The winning essay will be selected according to originality, the importance and complexity of the legal issues involved, the relevance of the subject matter to the IAML, any research undertaken and the structure, writing style and presentation. 

Subject Matter

The essay will address a topic of relevance to the IAML and European family lawyers, typically with an international dimension and/or an analysis of recent or planned developments. 

This year's topic will be

The Brussels II bis Regulation - Five Years On and Proposals for Reform

The essay should be not less than 2,000 words and should not exceed 3,000 words in length (excluding footnotes), preferably in English, although essays written in a language other than English will also be welcomed. 

Eligibility

The author of the essay must be a qualified practising family lawyer of up to ten years qualification and/or experience and be a citizen of any European country.

Publication

The winning essay will be published on the IAML website and also in the IAML Newsletter. 

The entry should not have been published or be under consideration for publication elsewhere, although can subsequently be published elsewhere with appropriate reference to the IAML.

The invitation to apply will be published on the IAML website and all Fellows of the European Chapter will receive a notice to circulate details and highlight awareness of the Award in their respective jurisdictions. 

Time Deadlines

The essays for consideration in respect of the first annual award should be submitted no later than 30 November 2010.

Submissions should be sent electronically to Donna Goddard of the IAML at donna.goddard@iaml.org.