Following the success of the prizes held in 2022 and 2023, Gide is delighted to have collaborated once again with The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn ("Gray's Inn”) on the French-English Law Essay Prize 2024.

The topic for this annual prize focuses on a comparison of law relevant to commercial transactions in the French and English legal systems. For the 2024 prize, the title was: 

To what extent do the duties and responsibilities of a company director, and the consequences of their breach, differ in the laws of France and England?
What do these differences reveal with respect to the legal and business cultures of the two countries, and how, if at all, has history played a part?

We are delighted to announce that the entrants who were judged to have answered this question most successfully are:

Our winner: Abigail Herron, who is currently in her final year studying Law with French Law at the University of Leeds. Huge congratulations to Abigail on this great achievement. She will receive a prize of £1,500 plus a two-week paid internship with Gide's London office. 

It is an absolute honour to have won this year’s Gide and Gray’s Inn French-English Essay Prize! This experience deepened my understanding of commercial law, enhanced my research skills, and allowed me to explore cross-border legal issues. My year abroad in France also really helped me apply what I’d learnt about common and civil law systems. I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and excited to carry these skills into my final year of university and future career. Abigail Herron, essay prize winner

Our runner-up: Congratulations also to our runner-up, Alia Karam who is currently training at the École de Formation du Barreau. Alia will receive a prize of £1,000.

Taking part in this essay prize has been such a valuable experience for me. Delving into and comparing two legal systems has profoundly deepened my understanding of how business cultures are shaped, particularly by legal traditions and regulatory approaches to company law. This analysis not only allowed me to immerse myself in a legal system with which I was only remotely familiar but also enhanced my grasp of French corporate law, in which I have been engaged since the start of my studies. Above all, it reinforced my enthusiasm for exploring the interplay between legal frameworks and business practices. Alia Karam, essay prize runner-up

Thank you to our esteemed Panel of Judges for the time and effort that they put into making this decision. This year the panel comprised the following notable experts in the fields of French-English law and/or Franco-British relations:

• Lady Justice Andrews, Vice Treasurer of Gray’s Inn and President of the Judging Panel
• Saadia Bhatty, partner, Gide London
• Michael Butcher, President of the Franco-British Data Society, bencher of Gray’s Inn and organiser of the prize from Gray’s Inn’s side
• Michael Collett, KC, barrister at 20 Essex Street
• Dr. Catherine Pedamon, senior lecturer, Westminster Law School
• Fabienne Schaller, President in the International Commercial Chamber of the Paris Court of Appeal

On the announcement of the prize winner, judge and Gide partner Saadia Bhatty commented: The judges were very impressed by the efforts of our winner and runner-up, who both rose to the challenge of the question and displayed an impressive level of knowledge and analysis. They should be very proud of what they have achieved, and we wish them every success in the future as they pursue their ambitions to become part of the next generation of lawyers.

Finally, well done, and thank you to everyone who submitted an essay for the prize this year. The judges would like to compliment you all on the standard of your entries. We wish everyone who contributed all the best for their future studies and careers. 

Keep a lookout for details of next year’s prize, to be announced in the new year. You may also be interested in learning more about Gide London's training programme or, more generally, a career at Gide. Further information on this can be found in the Careers section of our website, Gide.com.