Career Development Office Blog

The American Judges Association (AJA) announces its annual essay competition open to all full-time law students enrolled in and attending an accredited law school in theUnited States or Canada. The first prize for the contest is $3,000; second is $1,500; and third is $1,000. First, second, and third place winners and their law schools will be presented with an award certificate. The winning essay may be published in AJA’s journal, Court Review.

The following rules and regulations apply:

1. Any student regularly enrolled in and attending classes at an accredited law school in the United States or Canada is eligible to enter. Submission of a paper, with one cover page and the completed entry form constitutes entry. Essays submitted for the 2012 competition MUST be under the topic of “Is it constitutional for a legislative body to require a DNA test for all persons arrested and charged with a felony?” Essays determined not tomeet this qualification will be not evaluated.
2. The cover page of the paper must be submitted in a separate document and shall include the title and the author’s name, current mailing and e-mail addresses, and telephone number. The author’s name should appear only on the cover page and the entry form. The title and page number must appear at the top of each page of the paper.
3.  All papers shall be the original, unpublished work of an individual student, but may have been prepared as a course assignment. Normal guidance of law school faculty is permitted.
4. Entry grants AJA the right of first publication of the paper and is agreement to hold AJA and its members harmless from, and to indemnify them for, any and all damages and costs relating to copyright infringement or plagiarism.
5. Papers become the property of the American Judges Association and may be published in the Court Review.
6. Papers should be double-spaced and 10-25 pages in length. Extensive footnoting or end noting is discouraged and is included in the paper’s length. Citations, footnotes, and endnotes should be in accord with the current edition of A Uniform System of Citation.
7. Papers will be evaluated considering: writing quality and clarity; the interest of the topic and content to a broad segment of the judiciary; analysis and reasoning; timeliness, originality, and creativity; quality and use of research; and compliance with these rules.
8. Papers will be evaluated, and prizes awarded, at the sole discretion of a panel of AJA members who will have no knowledge of the author’s name or law school.
9. Winners will be publicly announced at the Association’s 2012 Annual Educational Conference in New Orleans, September 30-October 5, and thereafter notified by mail.
10. All law schools and authors will also be notified by mail.
11. Entries must be e-mailed or postmarked no later than June 1, 2012.  
12. First prize is $3,000, second prize is $1,500, and third prize is $1,000. Prize monies are contributed by the American Judges Foundation.

For additional information, please contact the AJA or visit the website.

Washington College of Law and the American Society of International Law’s (ASIL) Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict are pleased to announce the second annual International Humanitarian Law Student Writing Competition.  The Competition seeks submissions of academic papers on the topic of international humanitarian law (IHL) from students currently enrolled in a law degree program in the United States or abroad.  The purpose of the Competition is to enhance scholarship and deepen understanding among students in this important area of international law.  The winning authors will be flown to Washington, DC to present their papers at a conference at American University Washington College of Law focused on emerging issues in IHL with a panel of expert professors and practitioners.  In addition, winners will receive a complimentary registration to the ASIL 2012 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC on March 28-31, 2012 and a one-year ASIL student membership.  Last year, the Competition received nearly 50 submissions from 17 different countries.
 
To be eligible to make a submission, students must be enrolled in a law degree program at a US or foreign law school.  Submissions must be unpublished academic papers on a topic within the scope of international humanitarian law. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 12:00 pm (noon) EST.
 
For detailed rules and submission guidelines, please visit the website.

NLR December 2011 Suggested Topics: Intellectual Property law, Tax law and Labor & Employment law

Submissions are now being accepted for consideration for publication in the December issue of the National Law Review (NLR). 

Please note that although students are encouraged to submit articles pertainint to the above-listed topics, they may also submit entries covering current issues related to other areas of the law. The deadline for entries is Monday, November 21, 2011.   The winning articles from this month’s NLR 2011 Law Student Writing Competition will be published online in December 2011. The top article(s) chosen will be featured on the NLR home page.  Up to 5 runner-up articles may also be posted in the NLR searchable database. 

Why Students Should Submit Articles:

• Students have the opportunity to publicly display their legal knowledge and skills.
• The student’s photo, biography, and contact information will be posted with each article, allowing for professional recognition and exposure.
• Winning articles are published alongside those written by respected attorneys from Am Law 200 and other prominent firms as well as from other respected professional associations.
• Now more than ever, business development skills are expected from law firm associates earlier in their careers. NLR wants to give law students valuable experience generating consumer-friendly legal content of the sort which is included for publication in law firm client newsletters, law firm blogs, bar association journals and trade association publications.  

Student postings will remain in the NLR online database for up to two years, easily accessed by potential employer.  

For complete rules and deadlines, please see the Submission Guidelines. If you have any questions regarding this competition, please contact the NLR or visit the website for complete contest rules.