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
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