Gide and Gray’s Inn delighted to announce the winner and runner-up of the French-English Law Essay Prize 2025

Gide is very glad to have collaborated once again with The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn (« Gray’s Inn”) on our joint French-English Law Essay Prize.

The result of the 2025 prize was decided just before the festive break, and we can now announce the winner and runner-up:

Our winner: Naomi Walden, who is studying a four-year double English and French law degree. Naomi spent the first two years of her degree at Queen Mary University of London, and she is currently undertaking the second of two years at La Sorbonne. She will receive a prize of £1,500 plus a two-week paid internship with Gide’s London office.

« It is an honour to have won this year’s Gide and Gray’s Inn French–English Essay Prize. With AI regulation evolving at pace, this was a great opportunity to explore the relative intricacies of the French and English legal systems. This has deepened my interest in AI law and I look forward to following how this area will evolve! »
Naomi Walden, essay prize winner

Our runner-up: Haseeb Haraj, who is currently in his second year at SOAS University of London studying LLB Law. He will receive a prize of £1,000.

« I was delighted to be named runner-up in this year’s essay competition. Writing the essay was an opportunity to explore how different legal systems approach the regulation of artificial intelligence, and how law can both manage risk and support innovation in emerging technologies. »
Haseeb Haraj, essay prize runner-up

The title for this annual prize, established in 2022, centres on a comparison of law relevant to commercial transactions in the French and English legal systems. For 2025, it focused on the all-pervading topic of AI: If you were advising an entrepreneur starting up a company that develops and sells AI products, would you encourage them to do so under the French or English legal system?

The number of essays received in 2025 was the highest so far for this prize and the judges were very impressed with the general quality of the essays submitted.

Many thanks go to our panel of judges for the time and effort that they put into making this decision:

• Sir Andrew McFarlane (Vice Treasurer of Gray’s Inn 2025 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)
• Dr Catherine Pedamon (senior lecturer, Westminster Law School)

On this year’s essay prize, judge and Gide partner Saadia Bhatty commented:

« I feel so fortunate to have been a member of the judging panel for the Gide and Gray’s Inn French-English Law Essay Prize 2025 and to have had the opportunity to read a diverse and thought-provoking set of entries on the most topical of subjects – AI. The title was particularly appropriate at this time, as both jurisdictions are navigating the opportunities and risks of AI innovation amid evolving global standards.
The aim of this prize is to foster rigorous Franco-British legal dialogue on commercial matters, and I was pleased to see this evident in the overall high quality of the essays. Congratulations to the winners and indeed to all participants for contributing to this enriching study of these two legal traditions. »

Gide and Gray’s Inn would like to wish everyone who contributed to this year’s prize all the best for their future studies and careers.

Keep a lookout for details of future prizes on our social media accounts. You may also be interested in learning more about Gide London’s training programme or, more generally, a career at Gide. Further information can be found in the Careers section of our website.