Francisco Javier Oñate, from ISDE, wins the Young Lawyers Award 2023 from Centro de Estudios Garrigues
Fernando Vives, executive chairman of Garrigues, has formed part of the jury for the award that was presented yesterday by Eugenio Ribón, dean of the Madrid Bar Association
Francisco Javier Oñate Díaz, a student of Instituto Superior de Derecho y Economía (ISDE), has won the top prize in the XXIII edition of the Young Lawyers Awards, held by Centro de Estudios Garrigues. Patricia González Alonso and Miguel Recio Arcauz have been awarded second and third prize in the competition open to students in their final year of law degrees at any university.
The awards ceremony was held yesterday, June 21st, at the headquarters of Centro de Estudios and was presided by Eugenio Ribón, dean of the Madrid Bar Association. The event was also attended by important personalities of society and of the legal field, such as Fernando Vives, Garrigues executive chairman; Félix Plaza, partner of the firm and chairman of Centro de Estudios; Otilia de la Fuente, CEO of Europa Education Group; Elena de la Fuente, general secretary of Universidad Europea; and Mercedes de Prada, academic director of the Centro.
During his speech, Mr. Ribón addressed the young students present, to convey to them his motivation and advice. “For those of you who are considering going into this noble and marvelous service career, I would like to say that in order for a society to run smoothly, based on rule of law, the direct participation of the legal profession is essential,” stated the dean.
The Young Lawyers Award is given to the person that obtains the highest score in a test evaluated by the jury of experts which, in this edition, was formed by Eugenio Ribón (chairman), José Ramón Martínez (secretary), Manuel Olmedo (Ministry of Justice), Alberto de Martín (consensus representative), Eduardo Mª Valpuesta (Universidad de Navarra) and Pablo Olábarri (Centro de Estudios). The test consists of preparing and orally defending an opinion on a business law case, from a theoretical and practical perspective.
The winner will receive a prize of 6,000 euros and a full scholarship to the Centro de Estudios Garrigues’ Master’s Degree in Legal Profession. The other two winners will receive scholarships covering 100% and 75% of the cost, respectively. In addition, the nine finalists will receive scholarships, each covering 50% of the cost.