The Future Legal Mind competition run by National Accident Helpline is now open for 2023. This national essay competition offers undergraduate and postgraduate law students the opportunity to win a cash prize and the title of ‘2023 Future Legal Mind’.
Last year’s runner-up was Cardiff University undergraduate Tamar Knight. An aspiring environmental lawyer, she wrote an essay about her vision for new environmental policies and how to enforce them. Tamar has now graduated and is pursuing a work placement with the Electoral Reform Society as part of her long-term goal.
Winner Matthew Johnson wrote about the possibilities of expanding the use of alternative dispute resolution to the youth justice system.
The competition is a great way to gain recognition as one of the UK’s smartest and most promising legal students. Winners will get a £1,500 cash prize, a mentoring session with an experienced in-house lawyer and the chance to feature in publicity.
To enter the Future Legal Minds 2023 competition, all you have to do is submit a 1,200-word essay before the deadline of 31st July, 2023.
The topic of this year’s essay is: To what extent do you believe AI could ever replace the role of human judges? And what would be the benefits or potential drawbacks of integrating artificial intelligence in this way?
Jonathan White, the Legal and Compliance Director at National Accident Helpline expands on this year’s question:
“As we all know, AI has dominated the headlines recently, but we’re asking students to look past that and consider what the real benefits could be for the legal profession. The best answers would display a real understanding of the issues facing the legal sector currently, and how we might realistically resolve them“.
The competition usually seeks to generate engagement with a current affairs-related legal topic. Last year’s entrants were asked to detail their thoughts regarding changes that could be made over the next decade after officially leaving the EU.
Past questions have also engaged with topical questions. These have included how to remove common stigmas from the personal injury legal sector and whether the commercialisation of legal services is an inevitable development and a threat to the integrity of legal advice.
With AI anxiety the source of many headlines year, it will be encouraging to see how this 2023’s entrants see it being of use in the courtroom.
If you fit the criteria for the competition and want to weigh in, why not enter this July?
Jonathan White has seen how beneficial the award can be for future lawyers, stating:
“Many of our past winners have gone on to excel in their professions, and this competition provides a fantastic way to stand out from the crowd in a competitive field.”