2012 Hogan/Smoger Access to Justice Essay Contest
Contest Rules and Criteria:
The Hogan/Smoger Access to Justice Essay Contest (formerly The Roscoe Hogan Environmental Law Essay Contest) was established in 1970 by the prominent environmental lawyer, the late Roscoe B. Hogan of Birmingham, Alabama, and serves to provide law students the opportunity to investigate and offer solutions to the multitude of injustices inflicted on the environment. Any student currently enrolled in an accredited American law school may submit a legal essay for the competition.
2012 Hogan/Smoger Access to Justice Essay Contest
Are Factory Farms Hog-Tying People’s Rights?
Right to Farm and Ag-Gag Laws
Are They Constitutional?
Do They Go Too Far?
Prize: $5,000 Cash Prize
Free 2012 Public Justice Foundation membership
Featured on the Public Justice website and in the nationally
disseminated Public Justice newsletter
Enrollment Information:
Any student currently enrolled in an accredited American law school may enroll in the contest.
Each entry must be submitted through a faculty adviser. All entrants must fill out and submit the intent-to-enter form by January 31, 2012. To download the intent-to-enter form, please visit the website.
The intent-to-enter form must have the entrant’s current contact information, in particular phone and e-mail address, as the communications between the Public Justice Foundation and the applicant will be conducted primarily by phone and e-mail.
Intent-to-enter forms can be submitted via mail, fax, or e-mail to:
Hogan/Smoger Access to Justice Essay Contest Public Justice Foundation Attention: Cassandra Goings 1825 K Street, NW, Suite 200 Washington, D.C. 20006 Fax: 202-232-7203Essays must be received by the Public Justice Foundation for national judging no later than March 31, 2012.
If the essay is prepared for academic credit, it is eligible only if submitted for credit during the 2011-2012 academic year. If the essay was neither prepared nor submitted for academic credit, it is eligible only if prepared for this contest during the 2011-2012 academic year. If the essay was prepared as part of paid legal work outside of law school, it is not eligible for this contest.
Students must also submit an abstract (limited to 100 words) describing the paper. Please include name, address, law school and phone number on the abstract. The author’s name and law school must NOT appear anywhere in the essay other than on the cover page and abstract.
Applicants MUST submit BOTH HARD COPY AND ELECTRONIC COPY OF THE ESSAY AND THE ABSTRACT. A hard copy (typed) and a computer disc containing the essay and the abstract in Microsoft Word or WordPerfect format should be mailed to the Public Justice Foundation at the aforementioned address. The pages of the hard copy must be firmly fastened together with a cover page which must contain the following information:
- Title of Essay (must appear at the top of the first page of the essay)
- Author’s Name
- Author’s year in law school and expected graduation date
- Law school name and address
- Date submitted for academic credit, if so submitted
- Author’s permanent and school addresses and phone numbers (IMPORTANT: indicate effective dates for all addresses)
- Sponsoring faculty member name and phone number
Essays must not exceed 50 pages of 8½ by 11-inch paper, double-spaced, excluding footnotes.
Essays must have only one author. Joint essays will not be accepted.
Essays will not be returned to the authors and the judges’ comments and evaluations will not be provided to the applicants. The Public Justice Foundation reserves the non-exclusive right to publish all or part of the essay or abstract at its discretion.
Any questions, clarifications, or requests from the applicant should be communicated to Cassandra Goings. Please indicate “Access to Justice Essay Contest” in the Subject line if sending via e-mail.