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Amicus curiae contest

About the contest

The CCBE amicus curiae contest is an annual competition open to law students (undergraduate, postgraduate, masters whose degree is a prerequisite to enter the legal profession) as well as trainee lawyers in countries where the Bars and Law Societies are members of the CCBE. A full list of CCBE members is available here.

What is an amicus curiae?

The amicus curiae contest consists of a fictitious amicus curiae brief submitted by law students/trainee lawyers with the winner selected on a competitive basis. As the amicus curiae brief is fictitious, it is not intended to be used in actual ongoing proceedings.

The objective

The competition aims to:

  • Support a threatened lawyer by providing a forum for their defence.
  • Promote the CCBE and its work amongst future European lawyers.
  • Emphasise the essential role of lawyers in guarding and defending the rule of law.
  • Provide aspiring lawyers with practical experience of drafting an amicus curiae brief.

The poster 2025-2026

  • English: PDF format

Promotional kit for social media

Register to partipate

Click to download the registration form and application form

Previous amicus curiae contests

Learn more about the previous amicus curiae contest winners.

  • Poster of the competition: PDF format
  • Winning Amicus Curiae Brief 2024-2025, by Léa Silveira: PDF format
  • Poster of the Amicus Curiae Contest 2022-2023: PDF format
  • Winning Amicus Curiae Brief 2022-2023, by Lily Coisman: PDF format
  • Watch our video of the 2023 Amicus Curiae Contest Award in Chania, Greece!

Principle of the competition

The competition is divided in two parts:

Candidates

The competition is open to law students (undergraduate, post graduate, masters) and trainee lawyers in countries the Bars and Law Societies of which are members of the CCBE.
 

The Award

The selected brief will be publicised by the CCBE via its website and through its social media.

The winner will also be invited to receive a symbolic award at one of the CCBE’s plenary sessions or standing committees which is held in a different European country each year around May or June. This year, the ceremony will take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on 29 May 2025.

 

Timetable

The rules of the contest

What is the aim of the CCBE amicus curiae contest? 

The CCBE amicus curiae contest is an award intended to denounce the situation of a lawyer being persecuted in connection with or because of their defence mission, or, more broadly, an attack towards the defence. It is open to law students (undergraduate, post graduate, master) and trainee lawyers in countries the Bars and Law Societies of which are members of the CCBE.

The competition languages are English and French.

What is the process of the competition?

The competition is in two parts:

1. Selection phase:

Each candidate must submit a two-page application presenting (i) the profile of the threatened lawyer, (ii) the professional struggles that exposed them to these threats, and (iii) the legal issues that could be highlighted in an Amicus Curiae.

The Human Rights Committee will select three applications.

2. Amicus curiae presentation phase:

The three selected candidates must prepare an amicus curiae brief within two months of the selection by their Human Rights Committee.

A brief should not exceed 30 pages and may include annexes to help understand the situation (setting in the local social/cultural context, the press, etc.).

The brief must be sent to the CCBE, which will forward it to the Jury.

Who is the jury?

The jury is composed of the following persons:

  • the Chair of the Human rights committee;
  • 4 members of the Human rights committee elected by the very same committee;
  • if available, an external personality based in Europe, who is emblematic of human rights and freedoms (a politician, judge, lawyer, journalist, writer, diplomat, etc.).

The decision of the jury is then approved by the CCBE President.

The jury will select an amicus curiae brief, taking into account in particular (i) the particularly representative nature of the struggle of the lawyer concerned and the threats hanging over them and (ii) the quality of the legal arguments.

The selected brief will be publicised by the CCBE via its website and through its social media.