header-logo header-logo

21 February 2025
Issue: 8106 / Categories: Legal News , Family , Profession , Diversity , Career focus , Training & education
printer mail-detail

4PB memorial essay competition opens for second year

Family set 4PB has launched its essay competition for the second year running, held in memory of the late Alan Inglis.

A door tenant at 4PB and an LGBTQ+ advocate, Alan passed away in August 2023. 4PB unveiled its inaugural Alan Inglis Memorial Essay Prize last year as an opportunity to honour Alan’s contributions to the LGBTQ+ community.

This year’s competition opened on 17 February, with a submission deadline of 6 April. The essay question for this year is: ‘Should the Family Court automatically recognise international surrogacy arrangements?’, with a word limit of 1,000 words.

The competition is open to all law students, as well as those who have completed their studies and are actively seeking pupillage. The winning essay will be published on newlawjournal.co.uk. The winner will also receive a £500 monetary prize, an invitation for a mini-pupillage and an invitation to the 4PB International Seminar, where the winner will be announced.

The runner up will receive a £250 monetary prize as well as an invitation to the seminar. All entrants will be invited to the reception of the 4PB international seminar.

Andrew Powell of 4PB said: ‘Alan is greatly missed by everyone who knew him. He was hugely supportive of 4PB and its work, and it was an honour to have him as a door tenant.

‘Alan began life as a social worker prior to becoming a barrister and committed himself to progressing the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ+ people. This essay competition, now running for the second year, is a great way to celebrate and commemorate his life and work.’

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Partner joins commercial property team in Taunton office

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Londstanding London firm appoints new senior partner

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Commercial team in London welcomes technology specialist as partner

NEWS
The legal profession’s claim to be a ‘guardian of fairness’ is under scrutiny after stark findings on gender imbalance and opaque progression. Writing in NLJ this week, Joshua Purser of No5 Barristers’ Chambers and Govindi Deerasinghe of Global 50/50 warn that leadership remains dominated by a narrow elite, with men holding 71% of top court roles
A legal challenge to police disclosure rules has failed, reinforcing a push for transparency in policing. In NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth examines a case where the Metropolitan Police required officers to declare membership of groups like the Freemasons
Bereavement leave is undergoing a quiet but profound transformation. Writing in NLJ this week, Robert Hargreaves of York St John University explains how the Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces a day-one right to leave for a wider range of losses, alongside new provisions for pregnancy loss and bereaved partners
Courts are beginning to grapple with whether AI-generated material is legally privileged—and the answers are mixed. In this week's issue of NLJ, Stacie Bourton, Tom Whittaker & Beata Kolodziej of Burges Salmon examine US rulings showing how easily privilege can be lost
New guidance seeks to bring order to the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Minesh Tanna and David Bridge of Simmons & Simmons set out a framework stressing ‘transparency’, ‘explainability’ and ‘reliability’
back-to-top-scroll