Global legal research provider vLex has announced the topic for this year’s International Law & Technology Writing Competition. Submissions are due December 1st, 2021. The competition is for current law students, JD and LLM.
Submission requirements are simple and low-key: write a blog-style article of 1,000 words on one of three topics. Citations should also be blog-style using in-text hyperlinks, not footnotes. Articles must be in English. No images. Detailed rules can found on the competition website. The grand prize is £1,500 pounds and a 3-month internship. Past winning submissions can be viewed here.
This year’s theme is the relationship between law and technology in the past, present, and future. If this is something you like to think about, try submitting something! Here are the writing prompts:
- Past. A focus on what happened in the past, lessons learned and the influence of technology on law. How did technology historically impact the law? Has technology been used to identify injustice? Are we now using technology to analyze historical data that will change the law? How did the creation of the internet change justice systems around the world? These are just examples of questions that your article could address, however, this category is open for interpretation. Your article could focus on lessons learned from the powers given to Heads of State, evolutionary legal arguments, or the dawn of law reporting and its impact on the law and technology. Keywords: Industrial Revolution, Democracy, History, LGBT, Politics, World War, Evolution, Darwinism, Religion, Law Reports, Printing, Dawn of Digital Technology, World Wide Web, Telecommunication, Windrush, Aviation.
- Present. A focus on what is happening today, and the role played by today’s technology and laws. How do technology ad the law unify today? With global catastrophes, such as the pandemic, how did the law change to support technology, or vice versa? Are we withholding technology because of laws? How can present-day communication change, supported by technology, drive changes in the law? These are just examples of questions that your article could address, however, this category is open for interpretation. Importantly, your article needs to be reflective of real-world events, technology and law, to ensure the reader can relate to your writing. Your article should focus on events happening in the present day, including within recent months, such as the pandemic, sporting events, new technologies and changes in the law. Keywords: Pandemic, Medical Technology, Emergency Legislation, Track and Trace, Governance, Supply Chain, Acts, Immigration, Communication, News, Zoom, Olympics, Education, Online Testing, Homeschooling, BLM.
- Future. A focus on what could happen tomorrow on-wards, with real-life emerging technologies and law. How will technology and the law coexist in the future? Are online courts here to stay? Will AI technology and algorithms be blocked by legislation? Will technology increase access to justice and knowledge of the law in the future? These are just a few examples of questions that your article could address, however, this category is open for interpretation. Importantly, your article needs to be reflective of real-world events, technology and law, to ensure the reader can relate to your writing. Your article can focus on the changes we have seen in the pandemic and the future implications of these measures, technologies that are emerging, and future laws. Keywords: Online Courts, BlockChain, AI, Data, Privacy, CCTV, Hacking, Personalization, Digital Literacy, Access to Justice, Globalisation.
vLex is a research tool with legal information from around the globe. You can access BYU Law Library‘s subscription to vLex Justis in our A-Z Database List.