CIArb YMG Essay Competition 2019 Winner Announced

The CIArb Young Members’ Group (YMG) would like to thank everyone who entered this year’s essay competition.  We are pleased to announce that this year’s winner is Ms. Meg Cochrane.

Meg holds an LLB and an LLM from University College London in Law & French Law and Law & Economics respectively. She recently completed her BPTC and is looking forward to starting her pupillage in October 2019 at Whitestone Chambers in London. Her essay was on the topic of “Analysing the Overlap between Arbitration and Human Rights” and will be published in the CIArb’s International Journal of Arbitration, Mediation and Dispute Management (first issue in 2019).

Author for the winning entry, Meg Cochrane commented:

“During my university studies, I undertook modules that encompassed both international commercial law issues and human rights. I developed a real interest in these subjects. Hence, when I found out about the CIArb YMG Competition, I chose to submit an essay concerning the overlap between arbitration and human rights. I was delighted to find out my submission won this competition as one day I hope to be an arbitrator.”

The Essay Competition was judged by Dr Crina Baltag of University of Bedfordshire, Senior Lecturer in Law, Director of Research, Centre for Research in Law (acting) and LL.M. Course Coordinator.

Dr Crina Baltag MCIArb, commented:

“I would like to congratulate all the participants in the 2019 CIArb YMG Essay Competition – I thoroughly enjoyed reading outstanding papers and this made the decision a difficult task. I am honoured to be part of such outstanding initiatives, encouraging young practitioners to bring their critical contribution to topics of very much interest and debate. Encouraging young practitioners should be part of our mission: we have remarkable voices ready to be heard!”

Ronan O’Reilly MCIArb, White & Case, London (YMG Chair) added: “I’m delighted by the level of participation in this year’s competition and continue to be impressed by the quality of entries that we receive each year. I’m pleased that we can showcase the work of talented young practitioners like Meg, who offer new and original perspectives on important issues in arbitration.  Congratulations to all participants.”

CIArb YMG brings together dispute resolution practitioners below the age of 40 interested in building their careers in this fast-growing and dynamic field and has currently over 4,000 members.