Entries are now being accepted for the Philadelphia Bar Association?s Seventh Annual Legal Writing Competition in honor of the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
The co-chairs of the competition are Kathleen D. Wilkinson, partner at Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman and Dicker LLP and secretary of the Association and Diane Penneys Edelman, Assistant Dean for International Programs, Associate Professor of Legal Writing, Villanova University School of Law.
The Bar Association recognizes the importance of excellence in legal analysis and writing skills, and seeks to award a student enrolled in an American Bar Association-approved or provisionally approved Philadelphia-area law school for authoring a top-quality competition submission. This year the judges for the competition are Brandi J. Brice, City of Philadelphia Law Department; Professor Candace Mueller Centeno, Villanova University School of Law; Assistant Dean Arlene Rivera Finkelstein, University of Pennsylvania School of Law; Professor Sydney T. Howe-Barksdale, Widener University School of Law; Professor Ellie Margolis, Temple University Beasley School of Law; Professor Lisa T. McElroy, Drexel University Earle Mack School of Law; Linda D. Perkins, Philadelphia District Attorney?s Office; U.S. District Court Judge Gene E.K. Pratter; Professor Sheila Rodriguez, Rutgers University School of Law ? Camden; Teresa F. Sachs, Post & Schell, P.C.; Professor David A. Sonenshein, Temple University Beasley School of Law; and Troy H. Wilson, Wilson & Wilson.
?Over the last six years, the Association has received numerous excellent essays, making it very difficult to select the winner,? said Wilkinson. ?Fortunately, this year as well as in the past, we have had excellent judges from the legal community, the bench and the law schools participate in judging the essays. The judges award grades on many aspects of the quality and thoroughness of the written papers.?
?Excellent legal analysis and writing abilities have always been important to a lawyer?s success, and have become even more crucial in this economy. The fact that the Bar Association rewards high-quality student work shows the Association?s commitment to encouraging excellence in law students,? said Edelstein.
This competition is open to full- and part-time law students who are in their second or third year of study during the 2008-09 academic year at one of the following six institutions: Drexel University Earle Mack School of Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School, Rutgers University School of Law - Camden, Temple University Beasley School of Law, Villanova University School of Law and Widener University School of Law (Delaware Campus). Part-time law students in their third or later year of study are also eligible. Students must be in good standing at their institutions. The submission may not have been published previously, although it may have been prepared in connection with a law school course or for a law journal. The submission also may not have been submitted for any other competition during the time when it is under consideration for this competition, until after the time when awards are announced. The submission must be the work of one author alone (joint submissions will not be considered), and the author must certify that the submission has been prepared without substantial editing from others.
Candidates may submit a law review quality submission on any topic relating to rights, privileges and responsibilities under federal law. Entries must be received by Friday, May 8 at 4 p.m.
The author of the winning submission will receive a cash award of $2,500, the publication of the winning submission in The Philadelphia Lawyer, on the Bar Association?s web site and/or in an appropriate Bar Association publication. The winner will be invited to the Quarterly Meeting of the Bar Association in October 2009, at which time the award will be presented.
These are links to resources for this competition: flyerrules
