Berlin, 7 June 2025. The law firm Redeker Sellner Dahs presented the US lawyer Rachel Cohen the Konrad Redeker Prize for Rule of Law, Stance and Resilience on 6 June 2025.
Since the beginning of the year, the judiciary and the legal profession in the US have been subject to numerous attempts at intimidation as well as sanctions by the new US government. Instead of taking legal action against this, several US law firms that are also active in Europe have caved in, concluding “deals” in which, among other things, they have agreed to provide free legal advice to further the interests of the new government. The American lawyer Rachel Cohen has seized this opportunity to turn her back on her law firm and draw attention to the dangers to the rule of law resulting from such pacts. “Through her courage, her stance and her commitment, Rachel Cohen has contributed to broad and open resistance to the US administration's attacks on the legal profes‑sion,” is how Dr Roya Sangi, Máster en Filosofía Política, partner at Redeker Sellner Dahs, commented on the selection of the award winner.
Redeker Sellner Dahs has taken the increasing attacks worldwide on the independence of the insti‑tutions charged with the administration of justice – the legal profession and the judiciary – as an opportunity to award an annual prize for exceptional commitment to the rule of law. The prize is awarded to lawyers who take a stance, show courage and demonstrate resilience in resisting at‑tempts to call into question the independence of the third estate, including the legal profession. “The prize and the award ceremony are also meant to alert the public to current threats and abuses which are increasingly undermining achievements underpinning the rule of law in Germany and the European Union,” adds Dr Ulrich Karpenstein, partner at the law firm and Vice President of the German Bar Association. Hans‑Peter Hoh, Chairman of the firm's Management Committee, sums up the aim of the award in these words: “Anyone who takes a stance needs backing and sup‑port. The new award seeks to do just that: set a strong example that emboldens, protects and in‑spires others”.
The award is based on the lifetime achievements of Prof. Dr. Konrad Redeker, who, more than almost any other lawyer in post‑war Germany, stood up for the internal and external autonomy and independence of the legal profession from the state and other influences and pressures. Konrad Redeker courageously dedicated himself early on to denazifying the legal profession, tirelessly opposing all attempts to intimidate members of the legal profession and the judiciary or efforts to instrumentalise them. Two historians have examined and paid tribute to these achievements upon the occasion of Konrad Redeker's 100th birthday (Konrad Redeker, Ein Leben für den Rechtsstaat, 2023).
