A brilliant end to the Young European Lawyers Contest 2024 finals with Friends of ERA prizes for the winners!
Trier and Luxembourg, 14-16 October 2024
The Young European Lawyers Contest (YELC) has become an important part of the Association’s portfolio of supporting initiatives over the last four years, and rightly so!
The Friends of ERA Association acknowledges the importance of recognising and celebrating the professional and legal skills of the young generation of lawyers by offering cash prizes to the best contestants. Not only that: it also offers the young generation of European lawyers other opportunities by inviting them to keep in touch long-term as part of the Young Friends of ERA network. The Association hopes to encourage and foster these young spirits for many years to come, so that they will become successful European lawyers and also support ERA over the years.
Professor Vanessa Knapp OBE, long standing member of the jury panel but also representing the Friends of ERA Association, presented the prizes to the two teams.
The “Friends of ERA prizes” this time went to:
1st prize of €2 000 to Team Franz Liszt (Team11):
Diane Nyessi, France
Tereza Ľuptáková, Slovakia
Giacomo Benincasa, Luxembourg
Péter Szaka, Hungary
Diane Nyessi, Tereza Ľuptáková, Péter Szaka, Giacomo Benincasa
2nd prize of €1 000 to Team César Franck (Team 4)
Meriem Rakem, France
Lili Bischof, Hungary
Arthur Van Lancker, Belgium
Monique Martinek, Germany
Meriem Rakem, Lili Bischof, Arthur Van Lancker, Monique Martinek
During the contest, two contestants received a special mention: Monique Martinek, LL.M. for her clarity of thought in the Moot Court exercise and her outstanding pleading techniques and Paul Seseke for his particular skill in listening to the other team’s concerns finding a solution in the interest of both parties at the negotiation exercise. In recognition, both were awarded a scholarship to an ERA event of their choice.
Over the course of several months, twelve teams of young lawyers from fifteen EU Member States successfully completed several rounds, including written reports and the oral presentation thereof (semi-finals), a negotiation exercise and for the two finalist teams, a moot court.
In the final, held in the esteemed courtroom of the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg, the two best teams pleaded before judges from the General Court. An unforgettable experience! A big thanks to the jury consisting of members of the General Court of the EU, Judge Saulius Kalėda, Judge Tamara Perisin, and Judge Inga Reine, Vanessa Knapp OBE and the Director of the Academy of European Law Jean-Philippe Rageade.
One of the best parts of this contest is to witness jurors sharing their experiences on pleading techniques with their young peers. A truly valuable moment for everyone!
Launched in 2018 as a test run in cooperation with CCBE, the contest, which has been financed under the EU Justice Programme since 2021, allows participants to hone their professional skills and legal expertise in the context of EU law. The teams comprise lawyers from different Member States, allowing them to compare different national legal approaches, to reach a common understanding of EU law and to share views on the key aspects of the defence of the rule of law in the European Union.
The Friends of ERA Association warmly congratulates the winners of the YELC 2024 and all other teams for their participation.
Roman Zavrsek, Vice president CCBE, Vanessa Knapp OBE, Board member of the Friends of ERA Association, Javier Carvajal García-Valdecasas, Partner, Pérez-Llorca Madrid
Winners’ testimonials:
Péter Szaka:
“I can confidently say that the Young European Lawyers Contest 2024 was both a profound learning journey and an exhilarating challenge. Our team tackled complex scenarios, starting with a cross-border merger negotiation and culminating in a moot court case judged by three esteemed judges from the Court of Justice of the European Union. Competing in this environment pushed us to refine our legal reasoning and advocacy skills under real-world conditions, where every argument was scrutinized. Winning the contest alongside my talented teammates was immensely rewarding, and I am deeply grateful to the organizers for crafting such a unique, impactful event.”
Diane Nyessi:
“As for my participation in the competition, I have absolutely no regrets. I was able to meet 3 extraordinary people, with whom I shared and grew enormously (in addition to all the young lawyers I met in Bucharest and Trier). On a human level, the experience was incredible. Moreover, pleading at the Court of Justice of the European Union is an experience I never thought I’d have. I was able to learn more about European law, and work on cases that were as interesting as they were intellectually challenging. If I had to do this competition all over again, I’d definitely do it with Tereza, Péter and Giacomo. It’s a great competition, and I encourage all young lawyers interested in European law to take part.”
Meriem Rakem:
“It was really a unique opportunity on every level: meeting new people, travelling, learning, getting advice and feedback from ones of the best professionals, and even getting to plead before the General Court. I surely won’t forget this enriching experience.”
The Friends of ERA Association awards prizes to the winners of ERA’s Young European Lawyers Contest 2023
For a third year in a row the Friends of ERA Association provided prizes for the winning teams of the Young European Lawyers Contest which ERA organised for the fifth time in 2023.
After a preliminary series of three semi-finals in Brussels, Paris and Vilnius, six remaining teams made it to the grand final which took place in Trier and Luxembourg from 6 to 8 November 2023. The highlight of this final was a moot court session before the General Court of the European Union in Luxembourg where the two best teams represented two disputing parties – a private company as applicant and the European Commission as defendant – in an action for annulment aimed at the Commission’s decision authorising State aid in favour of a competitor of the applicant. The Court consisted of Judges Petra Škvařilová-Pelzl (chair), Rimvydas Norkus and William Vassilidis, supported by “auxiliary judges” Vanessa Knapp OBE, Vasilis Christianos and Pierre-Dominique Schupp (CCBE).
The Court appreciated the enthusiasm and the high quality of both teams’ presentations and declared Team 5 representing the Commission the winner of the contest. The Friends of ERA prizes were subsequently handed over by Dr Wolfgang Heusel, Member of the Board of the Friends of ERA Association and former Director of the Academy.
The First prize of €2000 was awarded to Team 5 consisting of
Daniela Demean, Vienna (Austria)
Michael-John Gillen, Dublin (Ireland)
Montserrat González Martinéz, Barcelona (Spain)
Laure Verheyen, Antwerp (Belgium)
The Second prize of €1,000 was awarded to Team 6 consisting of
Silvia Eliašová, Bratislava (Slovakia)
Lyvia Fortuna, Lisbon (Portugal)
Pierre-Louis Roquet, Versailles (France)
Michaela Scharpf, Augsburg (Germany)
The contest was supported by top-level lawyers and judges who served as jurors, sharing their expertise and specialisation with the young lawyers.
In April and May 2024, three semi-finals of the sixth Young European Lawyers Contest will be organised in Trier, Strasbourg and Bucharest. The final will then again take place in Trier and Luxembourg from 14 to 16 October 2024. Applicants are encouraged to apply and take part at this renowned contest. For more information, please visit the website here.
Once again, our most sincere congratulations to the winners!
The Friends of ERA awarded prizes to the winners of the Young European Lawyers Contest 2022
From 10 to 12 October 2022, ERA organised the final of the Young European Lawyers Contest in Trier and Luxembourg. This contest brought together newly qualified lawyers from European countries to highlight the importance of European law for their future legal practice and to put their legal skills to the test in a dynamic environment.
The origins of the project go back to the Young Lawyers Contest that ERA and CCBE organised as a trial run in September 2018. The success of this smaller scale project convinced the European Commission to provide financing for the organisation of two more contests in 2020 and 2021. In the framework of the Justice programme 2021-2024, ERA has received new funding from the European Commission to organise larger scale contests composed of semi-finals in different cities and a final in Trier. Whereas individual applications are possible, the majority of participants are selected by partners of this project composed of 20 bars and law schools including CCBE.
Initially, among more than 100 applications, 48 participants from 15 countries were chosen and divided into teams of mixed nationalities. The three preliminary semi-finals took place in Warsaw, Bratislava and Barcelona in spring 2022. The best two teams of each semi-final were invited to the final at the Academy’s headquarters in Trier in October 2022. After a training on EU litigation, the finalists in Trier performed a negotiation exercise and prepared for the moot court that took place at the General Court of the European Union.
The contest was supported by top-level lawyers and judges who served as jurors, sharing their expertise and specialisation with the young lawyers.
The prizes for the winning teams were generously provided by the Friends of ERA and presented by the Chair of the Association, Jettie van Caenegem, during a ceremony in the auditorium of the General Court of the EU in Luxembourg.
First prize of €2000 was awarded to Team 6:
Stella Alessandrini (France)
Vincenzo Maiorano (Italy)
Jan Spierzak (Poland)
Vlad Petru Sulea (Germany)
Second prize of €1000 went to Team 8:
Silvia Buliscakovaá (Slovakia)
Dimitrios Karagiannis (Greece)
Lucie Lavergne (France)
Justine Yansenne (Luxembourg)
Congratulations to the two winning teams!
The next final of the Young European Lawyers Contest 2023 (YELC) will take place from 6 to 8 November in Trier, Germany after 3 semi-finals that will be organized in May-June 2023 in Brussels, Paris and Vilnius. Applicants are encouraged to apply and take part at this renowned contest. For more information, please visit the website here.
The Friends of ERA donate prizes for the Young Lawyers Contest 2021
On 4-5 February 2021 the third edition of the Young Lawyers Contest was hosted on a virtual-reality island instead of face-to-face due to the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Over the course of two days, the ten teams of selected young lawyers from 12 countries across the European Union successfully completed several rounds, including written presentations, a negotiation exercise and a moot court.
Professor Vanessa Knapp OBE, Independent Consultant and Visiting Professor at Queen Mary University of London, one of the jury members and an active member of our Friends of ERA association , commented:
“It was so rewarding to be involved with the Young Lawyers’ Contest. The young lawyers got to grips with important topics such as the effect of the pandemic on access to justice in the EU and the extent of MEPs’ immunity in the performance of their duties. They had the chance to practise their presentation and negotiation skills and to deal with virtual interactions with colleagues from other countries. The feedback has been very positive.”
Wendy de Bondt, Assistant Professor of Criminal Law at the University of Ghent, also a jury member, said: “The winning teams deserve praise for the quality of the written reports and their ability to disentangle very complex legal issues with a very clear and comprehensive presentation, both in the written assignment and in the oral first round.”
The prizes for the winning teams were generously donated by the Friends of ERA Association:
- 1st prize of €2000 was awarded to Team 4:
Laura Dorneanu, Romania
Julius Malka, Finland
Laura Coeckelberghs, Belgium
- 2nd prize of €1,000 was won by Team 1:
Robert Brodzik, Poland
Rosanna Laurikainen-Klami, Finland
Cindy Svihalek, Slovakia
Oana Mirela Manu, Romania
- 3rd prize of €500 went to Team 11:
Piotr Bartosz Szczepański, Poland
Andrea Stănică, Romania
Alina Škiljić, Croatia
Congratulations to all the winning teams and individual competitors!
- Read the testimonies of the winning teams:
“The Young Lawyers Contest is a great opportunity for young lawyers to meet people from across Europe, sharing experiences and working together as a team on interesting EU law topics. It is a well-organised competition consisting of several rounds testing you on every possible skill a lawyer should have - from writing to negotiation and oral pleadings skills. I had an amazing experience together with my team in which we challenged each other and tested our knowledge while taking on the other teams. You get the opportunity to deepen your knowledge on EU law in a fun and challenging way. I highly recommend every young lawyer to take a chance and enjoy this once in a lifetime experience where you get to meet a lot of new people at the same time.
All in all, a unique experience that will definitely help me during the next steps of my professional career.”
Laura Coeckelberghs, Belgium
“We had an amazing multinational team that functioned well throughout the competition. The whole competition was a great learning experience improving my writing, negotiation and presentation skills. The assignments given to us were interesting and educational as they were versatile and required different expertise in each part. It was great to get to know young lawyers from all over Europe and I would warmly recommend the contest to anybody interested in getting to know new people and gaining experience in interesting cross-border legal matters.
Furthermore, the substance knowledge I acquired for the competition will be a great foundation for further learning in a professional setting. It was well organized and an overall fun experience.”
Julius Malka, Finland
“The Young Lawyers Contest contributes to the improvement of the level of legal awareness of young lawyers providing legal services in the Member States of the European Union in a more or less playful form, which in essence has left a warm feeling of a life lasting experience in each of the participants.
We consider participation in the contest, regardless of whether the teams participated in the third final round, to be beneficial and enriching in our ongoing practice as young lawyers and trainee lawyers across Europe and thus allowed us to take our knowledge of European law to the next level. The whole competition took place on an online platform due to the ever-present pandemic and the emerging need for social distancing. However, the organizing team of the contest did an excellent job by ensuring a smooth running of the virtual form of the contest, which we all enjoyed very much. And for managing this, an endless gratitude belongs to the ERAs organizing team as well as to jurors for their constructive feedback.
We strongly recommend that other young lawyers and trainee lawyers participate in the Young Lawyers Contest that we believe will be organized every year.”
Robert Brodzik, Poland
Rosanna Laurikainen-Klami, Finland
Cindy Svihalek, Slovakia
Oana Mirela Manu, Romania
"It's really nice to see that ERA is trying to promote the cooperation between different nations and different backgrounds within the European Union. Thanks to ERA for succeeding to organise a competition in such a way that was challenging to participants and that provided opportunities to network. I do appreciate the opportunity to meet other people and i hope to utilise these connections in my future career."
Piotr Bartosz Szczepański, Poland
Andrea Stănică, Romania
Alina Škiljić, Croatia
All participants of the Young Lawyers Contest obtained a certificate of attendance, which also indicates the number of training hours, as well as a free membership for one year of the Friends of ERA Association, which brings a number of benefits. The winning teams have also received a voucher for an ERA event of their choice, to be redeemed before the end of 2021.
This contest was the third edition of the Young Lawyers Contest and has been organised in partnership with the Warsaw Bar Association and with the support of the CCBE. The project is co-financed by the Justice Programme of the EU 2014-2020.
For more information see the dedicated website: younglawyerscontest.eu