Cooper Lohmus Prize
About
The Cooper Lohmus Prize is dedicated to two cherished former members of Chambers, Peter Cooper and Michael Lohmus. Both Peter and Michael were champions of those starting out at the very junior end of the profession and were committed to helping young advocates grow in confidence and ability. To honour their memory, St Ives Chambers is proud to run its annual advocacy competition in their name.
There are two rounds to the competition. Round one takes place remotely with competitors taking part in a 10-minute plea in mitigation judged by a member of Chambers. The highest scoring individuals will proceed to round two. Round two is an in-person plea in mitigation judged by our Head of Chambers, Elizabeth Isaacs KC, and a panel of sitting Circuit Judges.
The 2023-2024 competition saw 56 competitors take part in a criminal plea in mitigation for the Defence. The final round was held at Birmingham Crown Court and was judged by two sitting Circuit Judges.
Each finalist receives a mini pupillage with Chambers. The winner of the competition receives an individual trophy. There is a Cooper Lohmus Prize shield kept in Chambers engraved with the names of the winners.
The 2026-2027 competition
- Details of the 2026-2027 competition will be released in September 2026.
The final will take place in January 2027.
Past winners
2022-2023: Sebastian Anderson
2023-2024: Gary Mayfield
2024-2025: Henry Mcloughlin
2025-2026: Connie Blance
