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Writing Competitions, Awards, Grants and Scholarships
These are not sponsored or endorsed by Columbia Law School. Please check this website often for updates. For additional information, stop by our Student Services reception desk.
The Robert Masur Fellowship in Civil Liberties Deadline: 4/15/2013
The fellowship competition is open to first-year law students who intend to carry out significant activities during the summer (in between their first and second year) in the areas of civil rights and/or civil liberties. Proposed activities may include a writing or research project, work with a public interest organization in the areas of civil rights or civil liberties, work on a civil rights or civil liberties law case under the supervision of a faculty member or lawyer, or any other work in the areas of civil rights or civil liberties. The fellowship recipient receives a $1,000 honorarium.
Applicants should send a proposal, no more than two pages, describing his or her intended summer project, along with a resume, a brief letter of recommendation, and the name of their faculty or organizational sponsor to:
Robert Masur Fellowship
The Nation Institute
116 East 16th Street, 8th floor
New York, NY 10003
Scribes The American Society of Legal Writers Brief-Writing Award Competition Deadline: 4/19/2013
The Scribes Brief-Writing award committee solicits winning briefs from national moot-court competitions and selects the finest of those winning briefs.The competition covers the current school year - Sept. 2012 - May 2013. Email electronic copy of the winning brief to platen@cooley.edu
2013 Irell & Manella Prize Application Deadline: 4/19/2013
Columbia Law School is pleased to announce that applications are available for the 2013 Irell & Manella Prize for outstanding leadership and good citizenship. The 2013 recipient will receive a cash award of $3,700. The Columbia Law School student organization of the 2013 recipient's choice will receive an additional cash award of $3,700.
The Prize is open to 1L Columbia Law School students whose outstanding leadership and good citizenship helped to create a sense of community and engagement among his or her peers during the first year of law school.
Visit http://web.law.columbia.edu/students/student-services/irell-manella-prize to download application.
NYSBA - Elder and Special Needs Law Journal Diversity Writing Competition Deadline: 4/25/2013
Any law or legal issue affecting seniors and/or persons with disabilities, with a specific focus on historically undeserved populations. Examples include, but are not limited to, access to education, healthcare and housing.
All students attending an accredited ABA law school within New York State and recent law graduates seeking employment. Winners will be guaranteed publication within the New York State Bar Association's Elder and Special Needs Law Journal (ESNLJ). Two $500 prizes and complimentary one year membership in the New York State Elder Law Section for the winners.
Notre Dame Law School Smith-Doheny Legal Ethics Writing Competitions Deadline: 4/26/2013
All students with an interest in legal ethics are invited and encouraged to participate. Competition is open to all law students. Entries should concern any issue within the general category of legal ethics. Entries must be original, unpublished work. Coauthored essays may be submitted.
For specific details please visit Website: http://www3.nd.edu/~ndlaw/writing_competitions/smith_doheny.pdf
Prize: $2,500
Chief Justice John B. Doolin Writing Competition Deadline: 5/1/2013
The subject matter of the paper may be on any area of the law relating to Native Americans or other indigenous people. Submission requirements, formatting, length and grading requirements are found at www.thesovereigntysymposium.com. All entries must conform to the Symposium standards. For further information, contact Julie Rorie at julie.rorie@oscn.net.
First Prize - $750; Second Prize - $500; Third Prize - $250
Michigan Auto Law Diversity Scholarship Deadline: 5/1/2013
Recipient must be a member of an ethnic or racial minority or demonstrate a defined commitment to issues of diversity within their academic career. Open to students currently enrolled in the J.D. program or will begin classes by the fall semester of 2013.
For more details as well as an application visit http://www.michiganautolaw.com/firm_profile/attorney-careers/diversity-scholarship.php
Award: $2,000
The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers & the ABA Section of Labor Law Writing Competition Deadline: 5/15/2013
Entries may address any aspect of public or private sector labor and/or employment law relevant to the American labor and employment law relevant to the American labor and employment bar. Entries will be evaluated on topic selection, analysis, quality of research, grammar, spelling, usage and syntax, clarity, structure, overall appearance, and relevance to the practicing labor and employment law bar. Competition open to JD students only. Visit www.laborandemploymentcollege.org for additional information.
First Prize - $1,500; Second Prize - $1,000; Third Prize - $500
IADC 2013 Legal Writing Contest Deadline: 5/17/2013
The International Association of Defense Counsel invites you to participate in its 2013 Legal Writing Contest. The IADC is a professional association that has been serving an invitation-only membership of international corporate and insurance civil defense lawyers since 1920.
Prize-winning articles and honorable mentions will be considered for publication in the Defense Counsel Journal, the IADC's quarterly academic publication that reaches a broad legal audience from around the world. Competition open to JD student enrolled in 2012-2013 only. Visit www.iadclaw.org for additional information.
First Prize - $2,000 + plaque, Second Prize - $1,000 + plaque, Third Prize - $500 + Plaque
The 2013 Michael Oshima Diversity Essay Competition Deadline: 5/31/2013
This annual essay competition is sponsored by the NYC Bar's Committee on Minorities in the Profession to honor the life and memory of former committee Chair Michael Oshima. This year's essay competition addresses the timely topics of either Stop and Frisk or The Use of Drones. Participants must be enrolled part-time or full-time in an ABA-accredited law school in the New York City metropolitan area and in good standing as a first or second-year law student at time of the application. Applicants must be a member of one of the under-represented racial/ethnic groups set forth by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or a member of the LGBT community or a student of a disadvantaged socioeconomic status.
Visit http://www.nycbar.org/oshima for additional information or email Jeanine Conley, jconley@bakerlaw.com.
First Prize - $1,500; Second Prize - $1,000; Third Prize - $500
American Judges Association (AJA) 25th Annual Law Student Essay Competition Deadline: 6/1/2013
The AJA announces its annual essay competition open to all full-time law students enrolled in and attending an accredited law school in the United States and Canada. Essays must be under the topic of "Comparing Hearsay Rules in Different Courts". All papers shall be original, unpublished work of an individual student, but may have been prepared as a course assignment. Visit http://aja.ncsc.dni.us for additional information.
First Prize - $3,000; Second Prize - $1,500; Third Prize - $1,000
Ninth Annual Employee Benefits Writing Competition Deadline: 6/1/2013
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 rmer spouses' or domestic partners' benefits, collectively-bargained benefits, benefits in bankruptcy, ERISA litigation, fiduciary obligations or the tax treatment of benefits/contributions.
Prize- $1,500
University of Connecticut School of Law Deadline: 6/3/2013
The University of Connecticut School of Law has established a Student Legal Writing Competition to encourage and reward original student writing on legal issues affecting persons struggling with homelessness, mental illness, addiction, or substance abuse. Papers must be the law student author's own work and must not have been submitted for publication elsewhere. All students intending to enter the competition must register by April 15, 2013.
To download registration form visit http://www.law.uconn.edu/node/9768
First prize - $750; Second prize - 500; Third prize - $250
2013 Matsui Writing Competition for Law Students Deadline: 6/15/2013
The Asian Pacific American Bar Association Educational Fund (AEF) is seeking submissions from law students for its 2013 Robert T. Matsui Writing Competition. The competition is open to all law students in the United States. Submissions shall not exceed 15,000 words (inclusive of footnote text) and may address any topic of interest so long as it reasonably relates to Asian Pacific Americans and the law. The winner will be announced on or about August 15, 2013. The winner of the 2013 Competition will receive a monetary award of $1,500 and the winning entry will be published in the UCLA School of Law's Asian Pacific American Law Journal.
For an application and additional rules, please see the attached documents or visit http://www.aefdc.com/?page_id=93
Union Internationale des Avocats Jacques Leroy International Prize Competition Deadline: 6/30/2013
Students who wish to participate must send a dissertation (plea, study, commentary of a practical case) that deals with the following theme: "Fair Trade: how can we establish rules that are specific and realistic?".
Winner will be rewarded with participation in our annual congress that will be taking place in Macau (China) from Oct. 31-Nov. 4 including travel costs, accommodation and a cash prize of 1000E, as well as free membership in the UIA for a year.
2013 American Inn of Court Warren E. Burger Prize Writing Competition 7/15/2013
Interested authors are asked to submit an original, unpublished essay of 10,000 to 25,000 words on a topic that addresses issues of legal excellence, civility, ethics, and professionalism.
The winning essay will receive a cash prize of $5,000 and the essay will be published in the South Carolina Law Review. Visit www.innsofcourt.org/burgerprize for additional information.
Americans United For Life Legal Writing Contest Deadline: 9/30/2013
Advocates for Life, the law student initiative of Americans United for Life, is conducting their first legal writing competition. This year’s prompt involves new legal opinions of the landmark case Roe v. Wade. Monetary prizes will be awarded to the top three authors, and the first-place entry will be published in Human Life Review. The prompt and full contest rules are available at http://www.aul.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Legal-Writing-Contest-Rules-2.pdf.
First prize - $1,000; Second prize - $750 ; Third prize - $500