Foreword
In 2008 the Inner Temple is celebrating the 400th anniversary of the grant by King James I of the Temple’s Royal Charter, whereby the King granted to the two Inns of Court which make up the Temple the freehold of their lands in perpetuity on condition that those lands should "serve for the accommodation and education of those studying and following the profession of the aforesaid laws…" The 1608 Charter marked what was already by then a centuries-old tradition of legal education in the Temple.
The Inner Temple as part of the 2008 renewal of its commitment to furthering the study and development of the law and the education and training of those who practise or intend to practise it, has established a valuable prize, to be known as the Inner Temple Book Prize. There will in fact be two prizes, one of £10,000 and one for “young authors” of £2,500, to be awarded for the first time in December 2008, and thereafter every three years.
The Prize is intended to encourage and reward the writing of books which make an outstanding scholarly contribution to the understanding of the law as administered in England and Wales. The Prize will be open to authors of any nationality or domicile, provided their book is published in the English language.
Lord Woolf of Barnes, who retired in 2005 as Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, will chair a distinguished panel of Prize judges.
It is intended that the Inner Temple Book Prize, by value and prestige, should become an internationally recognised mark of outstanding excellence in legal scholarship, as well as assisting in the public awareness of the role of law in society.
Lord Justice Rix
