Dec. 31 deadline, Construction Law, $2,000 and travel to Las Vegas

1. The competition is open to law students in good-standing who were enrolled in an ABA accredited law school during calendar year 2011.

2. Papers should address a topical issue of interest to the construction industry.

3. All authors must certify that all work submitted is the author's work product without substantial editing by others.

4. Papers prepared for law school credit are eligible for entry in the competition.

Articles prepared for law review, or publication elsewhere, are eligible for the competition. Joint papers are not acceptable.

5. If the Forum wishes to publish the winning article or articles in its various publications and the article has already been published or is planned for publication, the Forum will publish it as well if the other publication provides its consent.

6. The format of the articles must conform to either of the Forum's two publications, The Construction Lawyer (law journal format) or Under Construction (newsletter format with articles of 1000-2000 words). Format guidelines for The Construction Lawyer are posted on the Forum's website.

7. Articles must be in Microsoft Word format.

8. Article must conform to the Harvard Bluebook citation style.

9. The following information must be presented on the title page: title; author's name; address, telephone number, email address; and law school.

10. Articles must be submitted by e-mail to the following:

- Amanda Raible, American Bar Association, amanda.raible@americanbar.org

- Marilyn Klinger, Sedgwick Detert Moran & Arnold LLP, marilyn.klinger@sedgwicklaw.com

11. All entries must be emailed by December 31, 2011. Winners will be selected and notified in March 2012.

12. The author of the first place submittal will receive a cash prize of $2,000; travel expenses and registration to attend the 2012 annual meeting of the ABA Forum on the Construction Industry in Las Vegas Nevada, where a first prize plaque will be presented; a one-year membership in the Forum and recognition in the Forum newsletter, Under Construction, and on the Forum's website. One or more authors may be determined a finalist and recognized with a plaque.

13. An impartial panel will judge the entries. Criteria for selection include creativity, clarity and precision of writing, strength of argument, novelty of subject, and quality of research.

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Construction Law, $2,000 and travel to Las Vegas

Subject: 2011 Law Student Writing Competition -ABA Forum on the Construction Industry

I wanted to assure you had information about this Law Student Writing Competition sponsored by the American Bar Association's Construction Industry Forum.

Finalists receive recognition, and the winner receives a cash prize of $2,000; travel expenses and free registration to attend the 2012 annual meeting of the Forum in Las Vegas, a first prize plaque, a one-year membership in the Forum and recognition in its newsletter, its publication, Under Construction, and the Forum's website.

The odds are good, and the opportunity is wonderful.

For More Information


Competition Rules


image source: wikipedia

Human Rights and the Global Economy - September 15 deadline - $500 and expense paid travel to Boston

Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE)

Northeastern University School of Law

Annual PHRGE Student Writing Competition

The Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) at Northeastern University School of Law announces the PHRGE Student Writing Competition to be held annually in conjunction with the PHRGE Institute on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

The Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) works closely with scholars, advocates and institutions nationally and internationally to address issues of human rights and economic development. PHRGE is particularly engaged with the national and international movement to promote economic, social and cultural rights (ESCR). As part of these efforts, each year, PHRGE hosts an Institute that brings activists, attorneys and scholars together to address a variety of ESCR issues.

On November 3-4, 2011, PHRGE will host an Institute on “Framing Economic, Social and Cultural Rights for Advocacy and Mobilization: Towards a Strategic Agenda in the U.S.” A successful frame helps organize facts and events to change the terms of the debate on a particular issue. Framing is not just a matter of “marketing” a message to the general public, but instead can and should play an integral role in building and sustaining a grassroots movement. This Institute will examine the strategic roles that distinctive frames can play in advocacy on ESCR before courts, legislatures and the media, as well as in mobilizing people to act on ESCR. The PHRGE Student Writing Competition will be held in conjunction with the PHRGE Institute.

Topic: Papers must address a topic within the broad field of economic, social and cultural rights within the United States.

Eligibility: Current JD students in the United States and 2011 JD graduates in the United States.

Length and Formatting: Submissions must be in English and between 8, 000 and 12,000 words including footnotes. The text of the paper must be in double-spaced 12-point font. Papers must conform to the Bluebook citation format. Submissions must be original work and not have been published anywhere else. Please include your law school and graduation date with your submission. Papers must be submitted electronically as word documents.

Judgment Criteria for Award: Papers will be judged on originality, the quality of writing and analysis, exhaustiveness of research and readiness for publication. All eligible submissions will first be reviewed by NU Law Journal staff members. The final papers from that process will then be reviewed by a panel composed of the PHRGE Directors and the editors of the NU Law Journal.

Deadline: Submissions due September 15^th 2011. Winner announced October 1^st 2011.

Prize: The winner of the writing competition will receive $500, as well as hotel accommodations and reasonable travel expenses (within the continental United States) to attend the ESCR Institute on “Framing Economic, Social and Cultural Rights for Advocacy and Mobilization: Towards a Strategic Agenda in the U.S.” to be held November 3-4, 2011, at Northeastern University School of Law in Boston. The winner will also receive expedited consideration for publication in the Spring 2012 issue of the NU Law Journal, which will be a special symposium issue on the Institute.

For More Information: Contact Gillian MacNaughton, Executive Director, Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy, Northeastern University School of Law, Boston MA

(617) 373-4972 g.macnaughton@neu.edu

Submit Papers To: Jenny Bagnyuk, Program Coordinator, Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy, Northeastern University School of Law, Boston MA j.bagnyuk@neu.edu

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June 1 deadline, 2 $1500 awards Employee Benefits Law

(Image: Will Simpson Open Source Photography)

AMERICAN COLLEGE OF EMPLOYEE BENEFITS COUNSEL

Writing Competition Rules


1. Eligibility/topics. Except as provided in (6) below, applicants must be enrolled full-time or part-time in law school between August 15, 2010 and August 15, 2011 and seeking a J.D. or a graduate law degree (e.g., L.L.M. or S.J.D.). Papers must deal with employee benefits topics. As an illustrative example, a paper might address legal issues involving health benefits, pensions, 401(k) plans, severance, executive compensation, claims, appeals, current or former spouses' or domestic partners' benefits, collectively-bargained benefits, benefits in bankruptcy, ERISA litigation, fiduciary obligations or the tax treatment of benefits/contributions.

a. Papers should not exceed 40 pages (double-spaced, in 12 point type, with an inch margin on each side), not including footnotes. Footnotes should be single spaced endnotes starting on a separate page.

b. Papers must be submitted as email attachments to peter.kelly@bcbsa.com and should be submitted as Word or pdf documents. No information identifying the author or law school should be included in the text, the footnotes or the filename. That information, an address, a telephone number and enrollment status information should be provided in the email message.

c. Submissions may include papers prepared for class assignments, law journals or other purposes, as well as those written especially for the Competition.

d. Student papers submitted for publication in law reviews or other law school journals or periodicals but not yet published are eligible for the Competition, provided that (i) the version submitted for the Competition does not reflect any changes made to the paper after submission of the manuscript to any publication and (ii) the College receives any consents necessary to publish.

2. Selection of winners. Winning papers will be selected by the Writing Competition Committee based on the factors they deem relevant. Among other factors, the Committee will consider: (i) depth and creativity of legal analysis; (ii) thoroughness of legal research; (iii) organization and writing style; (iv) difficulty of subject matter; and (v) consideration of employee benefits policy implications. The determination of the Committee is final. It is anticipated that winners will be notified by August 15, 2011, or shortly thereafter.

3. Publication of winning article(s). The College will use its best efforts to arrange for publication of the winning papers in the BNA Pension and Benefits Reporter, the BNA Tax Management Compensation Planning Journal or other professional publications, subject to receiving any necessary consents from the author and any other journal. In addition, the winning papers will be distributed to the Fellows of the College.

4. Prizes. Cash prizes will be awarded for up to two winning papers. The College may, in its discretion, decide to split prizes, to award additional prizes or to award fewer than two awards.

5. Deadline. Papers must be submitted in the manner described in paragraph 1(b) above and must be received no later than Midnight Central Time on June 1, 2011.

6. Disclaimer. The College disclaims responsibility for any failure to give due consideration to any submission due to any email or other electronic transmission, storage or archival errors, regardless of the cause. However, the Committee may waive the eligibility requirements applicable to any student whose properly submitted paper was not afforded due consideration on account of such an error in a prior year's contest.

Questions concerning the Competition should be directed to Peter Kelly, Chair of the ACEBC Writing Competition Committee at peter.kelly@bcbsa.com.

Image: Will Simpson Open Source Photography

Finals, Mind and Body

A Finals Post.

1. You are where you are, and the people near you are part of that location. The people who are in your location, who are family, will be there when you come up for air. Be good to them.

2. Within your available time, make the most of it. If you share space with other people, they will affect the amount of your available time. Accept that, and move forward with that insight.

3. Be good to you: a) Sleep; b) Eat; c) Exercise.

4. Move forward: a) Name the impediment that stops you from moving forward; b) live in the moment – your purpose in life through the end of the finals period is clarified; c) give yourself at least one full minute to begin a task; that minute should inspire you to be fully engaged, and you're off.

5. To keep you moving forward, a) consider clocking yourself with a kitchen timer, to help you use at least 6 hours of concentrated effort each day, in increments of 20, 30, 45 minutes -- whatever works for you; b) keep a bag of sunflower seeds handy for bits of good nourishment and a source for letting off steam while keeping the focus on the study; c) drink plenty of water -- to keep oxygen flowing to your brain and other things afloat.

***

Two helpful web sites:

Top Ten Happy Foods

Finals Coming Up: Your Body Needs Good Nutrition

Customs & Trade Law $1,000 (1st); $500 (2d); May 23, 2011 deadline

The Thirteenth Annual Andrew P. Vance Memorial Writing Competition
Sponsored by the Customs and International Trade Bar Association and Brooklyn Law School

The Competition
The Customs and International Trade Bar Association (CITBA) and Brooklyn Law School (BLS) are sponsoring this Writing Competition to encourage law students who are interested in careers in customs and international trade law. Winning papers will be considered for publication in the Brooklyn Journal of International Law.

Eligibility
Entrants must be currently enrolled in a J.D. or L.L.M. program at any of the nation’s law schools.

Paper Requirements
Submissions should be typewritten, double-spaced on 8 ½ x 11 inch paper. The paper shall not exceed 40 pages in length, including footnotes. Papers must include footnotes, not endnotes. Papers should be in 12pt. Times Roman font and have one-inch margins (right, left, top, and bottom). Noncompliance with these requirements may affect evaluation or result in disqualification. Please include the following on the cover sheet of your paper:

* Full name, address and telephone number
* Law school and year
* Date of submission of paper

Papers must be electronically submitted to Professor Steven Dean at steven.dean@brooklaw.edu, no later than May 23, 2011.

Judges
A committee of practicing attorneys and professors with relevant expertise will judge the papers. The following factors will be considered:

* Legal analysis
* Thoroughness and depth of topic
* Evaluation of judicial precedents, statutes, and regulations
* Writing style
* Form and quality of citations
* Conformity with rules of competition

Two prizes will be awarded:
$1,000.00 first prize
$500.00 second prize

Awards will be presented at the CITBA's semi-annual dinner in the fall.

Topics
An in-depth analysis of a current issue relevant to customs and international trade law.

Image: wikipedia

$1,000 and publication - May 1, 2011 - 10-15 pages International Investment Arbitration

The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) would like to make sure that you are aware of our Second Annual ICSID Review—Foreign Investment Law Journal Student Writing Competition, which was announced on our website earlier this year. Current law students are invited to submit an article on a procedural or substantive issue in international investment arbitration by May 1, 2011. Please keep in mind that entrants must be enrolled as students at the time of their submissions. Articles may be submitted in English, French or Spanish and must be between 10-15 pages in length. The author of the winning submission will receive a cash prize of US$1000.00 and will have his or her essay published in the Fall 2012 issue of the ICSID Review. Search "ICSID Review Student Writing Competition" for the official announcement, detailed contest rules and article submission guidelines.

image: clouds over I-49 between Fayetteville, Arkansas and I-40

July 1 annually, $10,000 - Palmer Civil Liberties Prize -- tension between national security and civil liberties

Chicago-Kent College of Law/Roy C. Palmer
Civil Liberties Prize
The Chicago-Kent College of Law/Roy C. Palmer Civil Liberties Prize was established in spring 2007 by alumnus Roy C. Palmer ’62 and his wife, Susan M. Palmer, to honor a work of scholarship exploring the tension between civil liberties and national security in contemporary American society.

The $10,000 prize is designed to encourage and reward public debate among scholars on current issues affecting the rights of individuals and the responsibilities of governments throughout the world. (View announcement of 2010 prize winners.)

Roy Palmer, a lawyer and real estate developer, is a 1962 honors graduate of Chicago-Kent and a member of its board of overseers. He and his wife, Susan, active in numerous civic, social and philanthropic organizations, are the recipients of the 1997 Outstanding Individual Philanthropist Award of the National Society of Fundraising Executives.

In 2006, the Palmers pledged a $1 million gift to Chicago-Kent earmarked to support the expansion of the law school’s campus, located in a rapidly developing area of downtown Chicago. The Palmers reside in Sarasota, Florida.

Image source: Wikipedia

June 1, 2011, $300-$1,000 -- Adam A. Milani Disability Law Writing Competition

Adam A. Milani Disability Law Writing Competition

Sponsored by the Mercer University School of Law and the American Bar Association Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law

About Adam A. Milani
Adam A. Milani – a passionate disability rights activist and accomplished scholar – was well known for his publication of numerous practical books and articles in the field of disability discrimination. He taught legal writing as well as the law of disability discrimination and always encouraged his students to become prolific and outstanding writers.

Purposes of the Adam A. Milani Disability Law Writing Competition
The purposes of the competition are to promote greater interest in and understanding of the field of disability law and to encourage excellent legal writing skills in law students.

Topics
The submission may address any aspect of disability law, theory, or practice the contestant chooses. Other permissible topics include issues arising under any of the following statutes: Civil Rights Act of 1964; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; Age Discrimination in Employment Act; Family and Medical Leave Act; or any state statutes or municipal ordinances prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Categories and Requirements
Submissions should be trial-level or appellate briefs on one of the topics listed above. 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 topic among those listed above and a topic not listed above, only the topic listed above 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.

Prizes
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.

Entry information
Entries for the competition must be submitted by mail to the "Adam A. Milani Disability Law Writing Competition," Mercer University, School of Law, 1021 Georgia Ave., Macon, GA 31207-0001. Submissions must be postmarked by June 1, 2011, by U.S. mail or a recognized commercial express service. Entries submitted by fax will not be accepted. The contestant's name and other identifying markings such as school name are not to be on any copy of the submitted entry. The staff at Mercer University School of Law will assign a random number to each entry and will record this number on all copies of each submission. Neither the contestant's identity nor his or her academic institution will be known to any Milani Competition Judge. Two copies of the entry must be submitted along with a disk containing an electronic copy of the submission in Word Perfect or Word format. Clear, legible photocopies without changes are acceptable. Each entrant may submit only one entry. Entries must be accompanied by the attached entry form.

Eligibility
The competition is open to all students who attend a law school in the United States. Full-time students who are not law students but who write law-related papers as part of a course at an American law school are also eligible. Employees of Mercer University School of Law (except for students working less than 20 hours per week) are not eligible to enter the competition.

Authorship
The author must have performed all the key tasks of researching, writing, and revising the paper for himself or herself, but may have received a reasonable amount of advice from academicians or practitioners. Except for any discussions or other activities that occur as part of course activities approved by the student's professor, the author must avoid collaboration with other students. If the brief is written as an assignment in a legal writing class and if the student was assigned to produce the brief along with a partner, the student may submit the brief but must identify the portions for which the student was the sole author. Only those parts of the brief will be evaluated. Under no other circumstances may any of the written product be produced by another.

Criteria and Judging
All entries will be judged anonymously by the Milani Competition Judges, who will select the winning submission(s). The Director of the Milani Writing Competition at Mercer University School of Law will notify the award winner(s). The Judges reserve the right not to award any prizes if it is determined that no entries are of sufficient quality to merit selection that year.

Entries will be judged based on the following criteria: quality of research and authority provided; accuracy and clarity of the analysis; compliance with standard conventions of similar court documents; and technical quality of writing, including organization, grammar, syntax, and form.

Entry Form

Image source: Mercer Law School

June 1, $5,000, & Publication Warren E. Burger "excellence, civility, ethics and professionalism"

The Warren E. Burger Prize is a writing competition designed to encourage outstanding scholarship that “promotes the ideals of excellence, civility, ethics and professionalism within the legal profession,” the core mission of the American Inns of Court. The American Inns of Court invites judges, lawyers, professors, students, scholars, and other authors to participate in the competition by submitting an original, unpublished essay of 10,000 to 25,000 words on a topic of their choice addressing issues of legal excellence, civility, ethics and professionalism.

The judges for the competition are Professor Stephen Gillers, Chair, Emily Kempin Professor of Law at the New York University School of Law; Professor Geoffrey C. Hazard, Jr., Trustee Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School; Professor Nancy J. Moore, Nancy Barton Scholar and Professor of Law at the Boston University School of Law; and, Professor Robert M. Wilcox, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law at the University of South Carolina School of Law.

The author of the winning essay will receive a cash prize of $5,000 and the essay will be published in the South Carolina Law Review. This prixze well be presented to the recipient at the American Inns of Court annual Celebration of Excellence at the Supreme Court of the United States hosted by Associate Justice Sonia Maria Sotomayor on Saturday, November 5, 2011.

The 2011 Warren E. Burger Prize Cover Page and Rules are now available in the “Related Links” panel above.

Send a completed cover page with the required materials no later than June 1 to the American Inns of Court national office. Submissions should be addressed Cindy Dennis, American Inns of Court, 1229 King Street, Second Floor, Alexandria, VA 22314.

For additional information, contact Cindy Dennis at (703) 684-3590, ext. 104, or click from the Inns of Court announcement to email Cindy. The winning essay will be selected by September 1.

image: wikipedia commons

California Legal History; June 30; $2,500 for 6,000 words

The California Supreme Court Historical Society
2011 Student Writing

DEADLINE: June 30, 2011

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

JUDGES: The entries will be judged by a panel of legal historians.

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 footnotes, 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

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