MLS academic wins prestigious book prize
MLS Professor Jason Varuhas has been awarded the prestigious Inner Temple New Authors Book Prize.
Professor Jason Varuhas has become the first person based outside the UK to win the prestigious Inner Temple New Authors Book Prize, a major international prize that recognises outstanding contributions to legal scholarship.
The Prize is awarded every three years for the best book by a new author from any jurisdiction.
Professor Varuhas won for his book Damages and Human Rights (Hart Publishing, 2016), a major work on damages for breaches of basic rights. It was selected by a judging panel comprised of 11 of the UK’s leading jurists.
“I am delighted to have been awarded the Inner Temple Prize. I am grateful to all those who supported and encouraged me in writing the book, particularly my family, and my publisher, Hart Publishing,” Professor Varuhas said.
Reflecting on the book, Professor Varuhas said:
“The topic of damages for breaches of basic rights is one of emerging significance across common law jurisdictions, and apex courts are increasingly being called upon to articulate a legal framework to govern this new remedy.
“The topic sits on the border of public law and private law, and raises important and complex questions of legal principle, practice and coherence.
“The approaches taken to when damages should be awarded and quantification of compensation have significant implications for victims of violations, for public defendants, and for the wider public interest.
“The book articulates and analyses different approaches that may be taken to the remedy, and ultimately seeks to chart a principled path forward for legal development, drawing on longstanding common law doctrines.
“It is hoped the book will continue to prompt further thinking by scholars, practitioners and the judiciary on this important topic.”
Professor Varuhas becomes the first person to win both the Inner Temple Prize and the UK Society of Legal Scholars Peter Birks Prize for Outstanding Legal Scholarship, after Damages and Human Rights was awarded the prestigious Peter Birks Prize in 2016. The book is based on Professor Varuhas’s doctoral thesis, which was awarded the University of Cambridge Faculty of Law’s Yorke Prize for best doctoral thesis.
The book has also been cited by the UK Supreme Court, the English High Court and the Federal Court of Australia.
Professor Varuhas will be presented with the Prize by HRH The Princess Royal at a ceremony in London in December.