header-logo header-logo

2025 ILBF essay competition winner announced

02 June 2025
Categories: Legal News , Rule of law , Profession , Career focus
printer mail-detail
Sean Xue has won the 2025 International Law Book Facility’s undergraduate essay competition with his thought-provoking analysis of the future of the rule of law

The University of York student's essay, 'Trust on trial: the eroding legitimacy of law in a polarised age', explores how political divisions and public distrust threaten the foundation of democratic legal systems.

Xue argues that the biggest challenge over the next 20 years will not be legal reform, but the erosion of public confidence in courts and governments. He highlights how judicial decisions are increasingly framed through partisan lenses, leading many to see the law as a political tool rather than an impartial safeguard. He points to the UK government’s response to recent Supreme Court rulings and US leaders dismissing judicial review as examples of this shift. ‘When courts are attacked as political actors, trust in the system dissolves,’ he warns.

The essay underscores that people obey laws not just because of enforcement but because they believe in their fairness. Once that belief weakens, compliance becomes a matter of convenience rather than principle. Xue insists that restoring trust in legal institutions is not just a legal task—it is a democratic imperative, requiring politicians, courts, and the public to reaffirm the law’s role as a protector of rights, not a weapon for political gain.

As his prize for winning the competition Xue will be undertaking a week's work experience with competition sponsor Brown Rudnick in June.

 

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Writing in NLJ this week, Thomas Rothwell and Kavish Shah of Falcon Chambers unpack the surprise inclusion of a ban on upwards-only rent reviews in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
back-to-top-scroll