Hlavní stránka Info portálu ZČU

Merits to the development of legal science, legislation, legal practice, organization of legal life in the country and also, for example, long-term work for the Union of Czech Lawyers. These areas are particularly taken into account when selecting candidates for laureates. The Antonín rytíř Randa Medal is awarded annually by the Council of the Union of Czech Lawyers.

Vilém Knoll, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, received the bronze Rand Medal for his services in Karolin in Prague. “It is a great honor and obligation for me. I see it as an award not only for my work, but also for the work of my colleagues, with whom we have long strived to ensure that legal education and science remain firmly anchored in the ethical and social values ​​that Antonín rytíř Randa stood for,” commented Knoll on the award. In addition to him, the bronze medal was also received by the President of the Notary Chamber of the Czech Republic, Radim Neubauer, the judge of the District Court in Hodonín, Ladislav Sobotka, and the head of the Department of Constitutional Law and Political Science at the Brno Faculty of Law.

This year, the highest award, a silver medal, was received by three prominent personalities in the ceremonial atmosphere of the Patriotic Hall of the Karolin Prague. The awardees were Supreme Court judge Michal Králík, head of the Institute of Law and Technology of the Faculty of Law of Masaryk University in Brno and its Vice-Rector Radim Polčák and the long-time head of the Department of Civil Law at the Faculty of Law at Charles University in Prague Jan Dvořák.

The ceremony was chaired by the head of the Czech Lawyers' Union and emeritus president of the Constitutional Court, Pavel Rychetský, together with the president of the Prague Association of the Czech Lawyers' Union, Martin Foukal. In his speech, Rychetský emphasized the importance of continuity of legal traditions: "The Rand Medal is not only a reminder of the merits of specific personalities, but also a symbol of the enduring value of the rule of law and professional integrity on which our society stands." Foukal especially appreciated the long-term cooperation across legal professions: "The Czech Lawyers' Union has always strived to connect the academic sphere, legislation and legal practice. Today's awards are proof that this cooperation brings concrete results."

The merits of all the laureates were also highlighted at Karolin by the Minister of Justice, Eva Decroix: "Each of the awarded lawyers contributed to strengthening trust in law with their work. Nowadays, this is a value that we must carefully protect." Other speakers also emphasized the role of the university as a place where legal traditions and new ideas meet. 

Randa was one of the founding members of the Law Union. He made history at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries as a prominent legal expert, educator, professor and also dean of the Prague Law Faculty. The medal in his honor has been awarded by the Czech Law Union since 1992.