Criminal Justice; April 24, 2009; $2,000

The 2009 William W. Greenhalgh Writing Competition (Deadline: April 24 )



From the compettion flyer (pdf):

ELIGIBILITY: The contest is open to all students who are members of the American Bar Association and who, at the date the entry is submitted, attend and are in good standing at an ABA-accredited law school within the United States and its possessions. Membership in the Criminal Justice Section is not a requirement for eligibility.

TOPIC: Any timely and important issue of American criminal constitutional procedure of interest to practitioners of criminal law.

JUDGING: A winning entry will contain an original discussion of the issue chosen, will be substantively accurate, will be supported by citations, and will be grammatically correct, concise, and clearly written. The Section reserves the right not to award a prize if, in the judgment of the editorial board of the magazine, no entry meets these conditions. The decision of the editorial board will be final.

PRIZE: The winner will receive a $2,000 cash prize and free airfare and accommodations to attend a Section meeting at which the award will be presented. In addition, the winner’s law school will receive a plaque from the ABA’s Criminal Justice Section. At the discretion of the editorial board, the winning entry may be selected for publication in Criminal Justice magazine, subject to editing.

ALL ENTRANTS: Receive one year’s free full membership in the Criminal Justice Section.

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Image: file photo, flight view.

Animal Law; June 15, 2009; $1,000 and $500

from contest notice web site:

The Committee on Animals and the Law of the New York State Bar Association is very pleased to announce the Second Annual Student Writing Competition. The deadline for submission is June 15, 2009.

The Committee on Animals and the Law was established to provide information resources for the New York State Bar Association’s members and the public about non-human, animal related humane issues, which arise from and have an effect upon our legal system. This competition seeks to foster legal scholarship among law students in the area of animals and the law. This competition provides law students with an incentive and opportunity to learn more about this area of law.

Law students (which include J.D., L.L.M., Ph.D., and S.J.D. candidates) are invited to submit to the Committee on Animals and the Law an article concerning any area of animal law. All submissions will be reviewed by a panel of attorneys and other professionals practicing or otherwise involved in animal law. The winner will be chosen in accordance with the attached rules. The first place winner will receive $1,000 and a certificate of achievement. The second place winner will receive $500 and a certificate of achievement.

Full contest rules appear here (pdf).

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Photo by Jeff Vanuga, 2002; cattle grazing shortgrass rangeland in northern (Larimer County) Colorado. Courtesy of NRCS Photo Gallery.

Public Investors Arbitration; August 17, 2009; $1,000 and publication; $750; $500

James E. Beckley Writing Compeition

For students interested in Securities Arbitration and Securities Law. Sponsored by the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association ("IABA").

Deadline of August 17, 2009

Prizes: $1,000 and publication (first place)
$750 & $500 and potential publication (second and third place)

Excerpted from the competition flyer (pdf):

Full-time students who attend law school or write a relevant paper in conjunction with a law school class are eligible to participate.

Submissions should focus on any aspect of Securities law; Securities arbitration; The Federal Arbitration Act, Title 9, US Code, Section 1-14, or the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's Code of Arbitration, effective April 16, 2007 and any changes or proposed changes to that Code. The writing can be based in theory or practice, but should ultimately advocate a position on the topic area chosen.

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Image, Van Gogh's Vase with Twelve Sunflowers, from Wikipedia.

Brown Award; May 15, 2009; $10,000

2009 Brown Award of

$10,000 for Excellence in Legal Writing

To Whom It May Concern:

The Judge John R. Brown Scholarship Foundation is pleased to announce the sixteenth annual Brown Award to recognize Excellence in Legal Writing in the United States. Any law student currently enrolled in an accredited law school in the United States seeking a J.D. or LL.B degree is eligible to receive the Award. This year the stipend for the winner is $10,000. The 2008 Award was presented to Patrick J. Charles of the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law for his paper, Bearing Arms in the Ohio Constitution: An Historical and Legal Analysis of Article I Section 4.

In order to be considered, four copies of a current legal writing must be submitted to the Foundation c/o Kenneth G. Engerrand, Brown Sims, P.C., Tenth Floor, 1177 West Loop South, Houston, Texas 77027-9007 with a letter of recommendation by a law school faculty member or legal professional other than the author of the paper. Only one paper may be sponsored by any faculty member or legal professional, and only one paper may be submitted on behalf of any student. The submission must be postmarked no later than May 15, 2009, and the package must contain a separate sheet containing the title of the paper; the name, physical address, telephone number and email address of the student; and the name of the faculty member or legal professional who is sponsoring the paper. Final judging will be performed by a panel consisting of a law school dean, a federal judge and a law school professor who will be appointed by the Foundation. This year there is no page limitation or restriction on the topic except that the writing must be on a legal subject. The Foundation will not return any material submitted to the Foundation. The recipient of the Brown Award will be notified by August 17, 2009. The Foundation looks forward to receiving excellent nominations from your institution.

Sincerely,

Vera Brown

Mrs. John R. “Vera” Brown

Chairman

VSB/cm

***

Judge John Robert Brown, Bibliography from the Federal Judicial Center:

U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (1955-1993)

Bass, Jack. Unlikely Heroes: The Dramatic Story of the Southern Judges of the Fifth Circuit Who Translated the Supreme Court`s Brown Decision into a Revolution for Equality. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1981.

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image: file photo, Central United Methodist Church; Fayetteville, Arkansas

Child Law; June 1, 2009; $1,000 and publication

2009 Law Student Essay Competition

The National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) will accept essays for the 2009 Law Student Essay Competition until June 1, 2009. The winning essay will be published in the 2009 Children's Law Manual, and the winner will be given $1,000, a one-year NACC membership and a scholarship to the 2009 conference in New York. Essays will be evaluated on the importance of the topic to advancing the legal interests of children, originality, persuasiveness, and the quality of research and writing. Essay topics of national importance are given preference.

Essays must be received by June 1, 2009. Essays may be submitted electronically to: Advocate@NACCchildlaw.org or by mail to:

NACC Student Essay Competition
1825 Marion Street, Suite 242
Denver, Colorado 80218

Recent Winners

*
2008 - Ensuring Equal Access to Education: Ending Racial Isolation in Public Schools in Light of Parents v. Seattle School District No. 1 by Manali Shah
*
2007– Prevention and Rehabilitation of Youth Who Commit Sexual Offenses: The Importance of an Inter-Agency Approach by Andrea Randisi, UC Davis School of Law.
*
Honorable Mention - Making Miranda Protections Meaningful for Suspects with Cognitive Limitations by Amy Weiner, Harvard Law

For more information, follow: this link.

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image, file photo, clouds over XNA, Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport

Nat'l LGBT Bar Ass'n -- June 1, 2009 -- $3,000; $2,000; $1,000 plus travel

This details of this announcement are excerpted from the competition website:

Michael Greenberg Student Writing Competition

The 2009 Writing Competition

Competition Rules:

TOPIC: A cutting edge legal issue affecting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and/or Intersex community.

ELIGIBILITY: The 2009 competition will open to students enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school during the 2008-2009 academic year.

AWARDS:

First Place

* $3,000 scholarship
* Publication in the Journal of Law and Sexuality at Tulane University Law School
* Registration, airfare & lodging for the 2009 Annual Career Fair and Conference in Brooklyn, NY*

First Runner-up

* $2,000 scholarship
* Registration, airfare & lodging for the 2009 Annual Career Fair and Conference in Brooklyn, NY*

Second Runner-up

* $1,000 scholarship
* Registration, airfare & lodging for 2009 Annual Career Fair and Conference in Brooklyn, NY*

* Airfare will be provided only from destinations within the 48 contiguous United States.

DEADLINE:
Entries should be submitted before the competition closing date of June 1, 2009. Entries are submitted via email to WritingCompetition@LGBTbar.org.

Previous Winners:

2008 | Lavender Law - San Francisco

FIRST PLACE - Luke Boso, West Virginia University College of Law - “A (Trans) Gender Inclusive Equal Protection Analysis of Public Female Toplessness”

FIRST RUNNER UP - Kathleen Doty, University of California Davis School of Law - “From Fretté to E.B.: The European Court of Human Rights on Gay and Lesbian Adoption”

SECOND RUNNER UP - Victoria Snyder, City University of New York School of Law at Queens College - “Romeo and Romeo: Coming Out from Under the Umbrella of Sexual Abuse”

For more titles from previous years, check the competition website.

Family Law, March 27, ABA Recognition and Potential Publication

I blogged this competition on January 5, but received a flyer from the sponsors yesterday that has been distributed to the law school deans. I excerpt relevant information below:

The American Bar Association Section of Family Law is pleased to present its Howard C. Schwab Memorial Essay Contest. This contest is held annually to encourage interest in the field of family law. Not only does the contest encourage innovative thought in family law, but it also provides an opportunity for recognition and publication in the scholarly journal Family Law Quarterly.

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Entry procedure

Law students interested in entering the contest should download the Schwab Entry Form linked below and fill it out. Once the form has been filled out, contestant should return it (details below) to be assigned an entry number. The assigned entry number must then be placed in the upper right-hand corner on each page of the essay. Contestant's name must not be on any copy of the submitted essay. Judges will not know contestants' identities.

A total of seven (7) copies of the essay and two (2) entry forms (with assigned number) should be submitted. (Details below)

1. Download the Schwab Entry Form and fill it out.

2. Return the completed entry form by e-mail to asalonc@staff.abanet.org with Schwab Entry as the subject.

Your completed entry form must be received by Friday, March 27, 2009, so we may assign you a number.

3. The ABA will then e-mail you an electronic copy of the entry form with an assigned number.

4. Place the assigned number in the upper right-hand corner of each page of the essay. (Contestant's name must not appear anywhere on the essays.)

5. Send six (6) hard copies and the completed entry form (with assigned number and signature) to:
Schwab Essay Contest
ABA Section of Family Law
321 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60654

6. Send one (1) electronic copy of the essay and the completed entry form (with assigned number) to asalonc@staff.abanet.org, Subject: Schwab Essay Submission

Please Note: We will only accept one (1) entry per author; we do not accept multiple submissions.

DEADLINE: All entries must be postmarked on or before April 3, 2009. (Remember, in order to be assigned a number, you must send us your entry form by March 27, 2009.)

The ABA will confirm receipt of entries via e-mail.

Questions regarding the contest should be directed to the ABA Section of Family Law at 312-988-5145.

Additional information about the Schwab Memorial Essay Contest can be found at www.abanet.org/family/lawstudents/schwab.shtm

Elder Law --June 1, 2009-- $1,500 (plus travel); $1,000; $500; top eight published.

National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Law Student Writing Competition

$1,500 (plus travel); $1,000; $500; top eight published

Submissions accepted between March 1 and June 1, 2009.

Full details: here (competition flyer) (pdf).

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Images: Microsoft file photos

International Law -- May 31, 2009 -- Cash Prizes, State Bar of Texas

Cash Prizes, May 31, 2009 deadline

2008-09 Law Student Legal Writing Contest

The International Law Section of the State Bar of Texas is holding its 2008-09 Law Student Writing Contest. Entry Deadline is May 31, 2009.

Cash prizes for first and second place; prior winning essays on-line and linked from the contest web site. The first three place winners will also gain admission to the International Law Sections's 22nd Annual International Law Institute, to occur in 2010.

Entries should be three to ten double-spaced pages in the style of the prior winning essays, some of which were published in the Texas Transnational Law quarterly. (Additional prior winners, linked from the contest home page, here).

Complete contest rules: here (pdf)

Administrative Law Scholarship (2008 publication) nominations and recognition

From the editor:

This competition is for nominations regarding 2008 publications. The award is recognition by the American Bar Association, and practicing lawyers may know of a suitable candidate. As for students who are considering a writing competition, the excellent description of eligible articles contained in this notice provides a good analysis of what a "new thesis" might entail. ~kas

Prior recipients of this award appear at this location:
http://www.abanet.org/adminlaw/awardsprogram/scholarshipawards.html

The following notice is largely taken from an E-mail announcement of this scholarly writing award:

Each year, the ABA Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice recognizes the best work of administrative law scholarship for the prior year, Nominations are requested for that award. Eligible books and articles are those that were published (copyrighted) during 2008.

In general, publications worthy of the Section's award should be: 1) well written, as publications that are informative and develop new ideas need not be difficult to read; 2) tightly reasoned, with a clear analysis that does not detour from development of the main thesis of the argument; 3) broadly applicable to at least several programs or issues; 4) provide a new and timely insight into a current issue of administrative law; 5) provide a new theoretical construct that will aid in the understanding or development of administrative law or develop a practical recommendation for solving a problem of administrative law; & 6) contain a minimum of repetition or recitation of existing work.

If you wish to nominate a book or article for this award, forward your nominations to:
Russell L. Weaver
Professor of Law & Distinguished University Scholar
University of Louisville
Louis D. Brandeis School of Law
Louisville, KY 40292
PH: 502-852-6559
FAX: 502-852-0862
russ.weaver@louisville.edu


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Image: Fayetteville, Arkansas sunset; file photo.

Legal Ethics -- April 24, 2009 -- $2,500

Legal Ethics, $2,500 -- April 24, 2009 deadline

All law students who have an interest in legal ethics are encouraged to submit an essay of not more than 50 words to the Notre Dame Law School Smith-Doheny Legal Ethics Writing Competition.

One prize of $2,500 will be awarded to the best essay.

Deadline: Friday, April 24, 2009 at 5 p.m.

For information and details, click here (pdf)

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wikipedia on legal ethics; image - Machiavelli (center right) depicted with: (from left to right) Cesare Borgia, Pedro Luis de Borja Lanzol de Romaní, and Don Micheletto Corella.

Alternative Dispute Resolution; June 15, 2009; $1000 and internet publication.

Alternative Dispute Resolution $1000 and internet publication; June 15, 2009 deadline

[The details that follow have been originally posted at the ABA ADR site, here.]


James Boskey ADR Writing Competition

Sponsored by The ABA Section of Dispute Resolution and the Association for Conflict Resolution in association with the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution of UNLV Boyd School of Law.

Sponsored by The ABA Section of Dispute Resolution in memory of James B. Boskey, an intellectual, humanitarian, law professor, and mediator. Jim Boskey became known and beloved world-over for his publication of The Alternative Newsletter, a resource guide on ADR published quarterly. It was in its tenth year when Jim died in 1999. The publication provided a comprehensive yet very accessible window into the diverse dimensions of the ADR field. In many respects, Jim Boskey-through the alternative newsletter-was the voice of the ADR community.

Purpose of the Boskey ADR Writing Competition
The purpose of the competition is to promote greater interest in and understanding of the field of dispute resolution and collaborative decision-making among students enrolled in ABA accredited law schools.

The essay may address any aspect of dispute resolution practice, theory or research that the contestant chooses. Essays are limited to 15-25 typewritten pages, including footnotes or endnotes. The text of the essay must be double-spaced, with twelve-point font and one-inch margins.

First Prize: $1000 to the Competition winner and posting of the winning essay and runner-up online.

Entry Information

Entries for the competition must be submitted by Monday, June 15, 2009. One electronic copy of the submission and one entry form must be submitted in order to register for the competition. Electronic entries are to be sent to Josephine Waugh at waughj@staff.abanet.org, with the subject header “Attn: Boskey Dispute Resolution Essay Competition.”

Click here to download the Boskey Entry Form.

Register via mail send the completed Entry Form and essay to:

Boskey Dispute Resolution Essay Competition
c/o Jo Waugh
ABA Section of Dispute Resolution
740 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005

Entries must be postmarked by U.S. mail or recognized commercial express service. Entries submitted by fax will be automatically rejected. Contestants will receive confirmation of the entry. The winner(s) will be notified by mail of their selection. The James Boskey Dispute Resolution Essay Competition is sponsored by the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution.

The James Boskey ADR Writing Competition is a project of the ADR in Law Schools Committee. The Boskey Writing Competition is Chaired by Jean Sternlight, Saltman Professor, UNLV Boyd School of Law & Director Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution."

Current and Past Law Student Division Winners Include:

2008 Winner: Adam Gregg, Contractual Expansion of the Scope of Judicial Review After Hall Street: Time to Amend the FAA
Drake University School of Law

Honorable Mention: Michael Kleinman, Diaspora Discussions: Moving From Jewish Enclave Deliberation to Interfaith Dialogue--A Case Study in Conflict Resolution at Rutgers University
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

2007 Winner: Kimberly Grant, Ten Dollars for Twenty Years: Providing Justice for Exonerees Using Victim-Offender Mediation
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Honorable Mention: Christopher McKinney, Too Many Motions for Vacatur of Commercial Arbitration: The Eleventh Circuit Sanctions Unwary Litigants
University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law

More winning names, titles institutions at the Disupte Resolution Essay Competition site: here.


image: annual Saltman Lecture at UNLV

Disability Law; June 1, 2009; student-written briefs, up to $1,000.

Mercer University School of Law and the American Bar Association host an annual writing competition in honor of Mercer’s former legal writing professor, Adam Milani. It is one of the few competitions for student-written briefs – not academic papers. Prizes can be as high as $1,000.





Categories and Requirements

Submissions should be trial-level or appellate briefs on:

-disability law;
-the Civil Rights Act of 1964;
-Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972;
-Age Discrimination in Employment Act;
-Family and Medical Leave Act;
-a state statute or municipal ordinance prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

The text of a submission must be double-spaced, with twelve-point font and one-inch margins. The Question(s) Presented section, the Statement of the Facts / Statement of the Case section, the Argument section, and the Conclusion together are limited to 20 pages. Briefs may include any other customary component of a similar court document, but those components will not be evaluated.

If the submission covers both a listed topic a topic not listed, only the topic listed will be evaluated. For papers written originally for a legal writing class, only two papers per legal writing professor per year will be considered. If more than two students of a particular professor desire to submit a paper, the professor shall choose which paper(s) will be submitted.

Briefs will not be penalized for arguing a position that would limit rights rather than expand them.

The deadline for submission is June 1. Further details are posted on the Mercer website at http://www.law.mercer.edu/academics/legal_writing/writingcomp.cfm

First Prize will range between $300 and $1,000, depending on whether multiple awards are given. The name of the winner(s) in each category will be posted online at the Mercer University School of Law website.

image: Adam Milani

California Legal History; June 30, 2009; $2,500 plus publication; June 30, 2009

California Legal History (broadly construed) $2,500 plus publication; June 30, 2009 deadline

These, and additional details, appear at a pdf uploaded by the California Supreme Court Historical Society.

The California Supreme Court Historical Society 2009 Student Writing Competition
DEADLINE: June 30, 2009
AWARD: The winning author will receive a prize of $2,500 and publication in the Society’s journal, California Legal History. Second and third place winners may also be chosen, and all winning papers will be posted on the Society’s website, www.cschs.org.

TOPIC: Original, unpublished scholarly writing on any aspect of California legal history, ranging from the Supreme Court itself and its justices and decisions, to local events of legal historical importance—including biography, significant cases, independent state interpretation, the California Constitution, and reorganization of the court system, as well as areas of law such as criminal law, civil rights, family law, tort liability, environmental law, and taxation—in any time
period from 1846 to the present. On the leading position and nationwide influence of the California Supreme Court, see the article on “Followed Rates” by Jake Dear and Edward W. Jessen: http://lawreview.law.ucdavis.edu/issues/41-2_Dear.pdf

ELIGIBILITY: The submission must be written during the student’s enrollment in a school of law or as a graduate student in history, political science, government,public policy, or a related field.

GUIDELINES: The maximum length of submissions is 6,000 words, exclusive of endnotes, in 12-point type, double-spaced, with 1" margins. To ensure anonymity, the author’s name should appear only on a separate cover page with mailing address, telephone number, email address, and name of school. Entries should be submitted as an email attachment in electronic format (Word, WordPerfect, or pdf).

SUBMISSIONS and QUESTIONS: Please send to the CSCHS Student Writing Competition Chair at smsth@aol.com

Image: wikipedia snowflake in lieu of image of Alpine Meadows, California (could not find a copyright free image of Alpine Meadows). Alpine Meadows played a role in California Legal History in a 1997 assumption of risk case by the California Supreme Court.

Women's Rights/Status of Women; April 30, 2009; $500 and publication

This notice appears at the site of the National Association of Women Lawyers


National Association of Women Lawyers

Fourth AnnualSelma Moidel Smith Law Student Writing Competition
Women's Rights/Status of Women $500 and publication; April 30, 2009 deadline


The National Association of Women Lawyers® (NAWL®) has established the annual Selma Moidel Smith Law Student Writing Competition to encourage and reward original law student writing on issues concerning women and the law. Entrants should submit a paper on an issue concerning women’s rights or the status of women in the law. The author of the first-place essay will receive a cash prize and the winning essay will be published in the Women Lawyers Journal.

Entries must be received by April 30, 2009.

TOPIC
Entrants should submit a paper on an issue concerning women’s rights or the status of women in the law.

ELIGIBILITY
Essays will be accepted from students enrolled at any law school time during the 2008/2009 school year. The essays must be the law student author’s own work and must not have been submitted for publication elsewhere. Notwithstanding the foregoing, students may incorporate professorial feedback as part of a course requirement or supervised writing project.

SUBMISSION AND DEADLINE
Entries must be received by April 30, 2009. Entries received after the deadline will be considered only at the discretion of NAWL. Entries must be submitted in two formats: (1) email an electronic version (in Microsoft Word or PDF format) to jsmart07@louisville.edu; and (2) mail, with a postmark dated by April 30, 2009, four paper copies of the essay to:

Selma Moidel Smith Law Student Writing Competition
National Association of Women Lawyers
American Bar Center, MS 15.2
321 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60654

image: widipedia, first woman admitted to the California bar: Clara Shortridge Foltz

Pro Bono Initiatives $50,000 - November 2009 (for 2010 award)

This notice material that appears below is from the American College of Trial Lawyers web site. Projected deadline for 2010 awards, based on the ACTL information, is November of 2009, but ACTL has not issued an official announcement yet.

Emil Gumpert Award: To recognize programs, whether public or private, whose principal purpose is to maintain and improve the administration of justice.

The award now recognizes programs, public or private, whose principal purpose is to maintain and improve the administration of justice. In 2005 the Committee awarded the first such award, in the amount of $50,000, to Dakota Plains Legal Services of Mission, South Dakota. The Committee is preparing to receive applications and nominations for the upcoming award period. The programs considered may be associated with courts, law schools, bar associations or any other organization that provides such a program.

Potential candidates may apply directly for the award by submitting the Application form found below to the American College of Trial Lawyers. Candidates may also be nominated by Fellows of the American College of Trial Lawyers including State and Province Committees, and by bar associations, law schools, or any person who wishes to propose a candidate for consideration. Nominators should use the Nomination form found below.

Additional Criteria Notice (Oct.08):

In addition to looking for programs that are compatible with this basic mission statement, the Emil Gumpert Award Committee pays particular attention to the following factors in evaluating applications:

* Precisely how will the award money be spent by the applicant?
* Will the applicant accomplish its intended project or goal without the award money?
* Can the applicant’s project serve as a model for wider application?

The Committee generally does not favor applications seeking funds for general operating expenses, to support existing programs, or to add new employees who perform the pre-existing work of the applicant. Past winners, described in more detail by clicking here, all sought funding for new, well-defined programs that, if successful, could be replicated elsewhere.

Award Recipients
2008 “And Justice For All” of Salt Lake City, Utah
2007 The National Center for Refugee and Immigrant Children,Washington, District of Columbia
2006 Legal Aid University, Boston, Massachusetts
2005 Dakota Plains Legal Services, Mission, South Dakota