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Today judges of the Supreme Court of Lithuania, the academia and other renowned lawyers applauded the authors of the best Master of Laws theses of 2016. The Supreme Court of Lithuania announced the three best theses, and the first prize was awarded to an alumnus of the Faculty of Law of Vilnius University Karolis Vaičekauskas.

According to the lawyer who has been examining problematic aspects of the conflict between intellectual property rights and competition law and exclusive broadcasting rights, it has been exceptional life experience for him. “I am hugely honoured. It is delightful to be recognised by the top authority, no doubt, and by legal experts with vast experience. This is great motivation to move forward, continue research and produce some more research papers on this topic”, the winner said. Replying to a question what prompted him to choose such a complex theme, Karolis noted that competition law had interested him since before university.

Having greeted the audience, President of the Supreme Court of Lithuania Rimvydas Norkus stressed the importance of the competition of the best Master of Laws theses. “The objective of this award is, first and foremost, to bring together legal practice and legal science. By cherishing the tradition of cooperation with the Faculty of Law of Vilnius University, the Faculty of Law of Mykolas Romeris University and the Faculty of Law of Vytautas Magnus University, we seek to encourage graduate students to produce quality theses carrying out profound analyses of legal theory and practice, to promote cooperation and interest in topical issues and to honour the students producing the best research papers of the year”, the head of the Court of Cassation stressed.

According to Dalia Vasarienė, a judge of the Supreme Court of Lithuania and a member of the competition jury, moderating the event, all papers selected at universities are exceptional and deserve to be named the best. “This is an assembly of leaders and winners. You are undoubtedly the best in the new generation of lawyers”, Tomas Davulis, Dean of the Faculty of Law of Vilnius University, addressed the alumni, echoing the moderator of the event. According to Lyra Jakulevičienė, Dean of the Faculty of Law of Mykolas Romeris University, these days we are to value freedom. “The freedom to choose not Soviet-style sham topics for your theses but those that are often career-guiding”, Professor said to the youth. According to Edita Gruodytė, Professor at Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania still has much to be proud of, in spite of vast migration. The scholar stressed, “Universities are blessed with gifted students, and this competition is proof”.

The second place in the competition was awarded to an alumnus of the Faculty of Law of Mykolas Romeris University Edvinas Iliukas who presented a thesis in criminal law: “Proceedings in absentia. Theoretical and practical aspects”. The third prize is shared by Ramunė Steponavičiūtė with “A compositional analysis of copyright appropriation” and Indra Kalvionytė with “The right to a personal image in mass media”.

In 2016, 12 authors of theses participated in the competition of the best Master of Laws theses. The papers were evaluated by a jury representing the Supreme Court of Lithuania and the universities. At the final event, the winners of the first and the second prizes presented their speeches and were joined by an alumnus of Vytautas Magnus University Agnietė Garbaliauskaitė who examined the possibility of a judge’s responsibility in the increasingly popular mediation process in Lithuania.