Since 2025, the Konrad Redeker Prize has honoured lawyers who have shown courage, attitude and resilience in their commitment to the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession.
Attacks on the principles of the rule of law are increasing worldwide – including in Europe. The award is intended to highlight those who resolutely oppose these developments and thus defend the core of our democracy.
“The prize and the award ceremony are intended to draw attention to current threats and abuses to which the achievements of the rule of law are increasingly being exposed in Germany and the European Union,” explains Dr Ulrich Karpenstein, partner at Redeker and Vice President of the German Bar Association.
Anyone who takes a stand needs support. The Konrad Redeker Prize is a sign of support – for all those who stand up for the rule of law in difficult times.
“The new prize is intended to do just that: to set an example that encourages, protects and inspires others,” says Hans‑Peter Hoh, Chairman of our firm's Management Committee.
The award builds on the life's work of Prof Dr Konrad Redeker. More than almost any other lawyer in post‑war Germany, he stood for the internal and external independence of the legal profession from state and social influences.
He was an early advocate of the denazification of the legal profession and tirelessly opposed all attempts to intimidate or instrumentalise the judiciary and the legal profession. His life's work was comprehensively documented by two historians in 2023 on the occasion of his 100th birthday: “Konrad Redeker – A Life for the Rule of Law” (2023).