The Board of Governors of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, Inc. (ACEBC®) is pleased to announce the winning student papers of the Employee Benefits Student Writing Competition sponsored by the ACEBC®.
The Sidney M. Perlstadt Memorial Award is awarded to the paper entitled “Pleading Prohibited Practices: Clarifying the Pleading Standard for Prohibited-Transactions Complaints Under ERISA § 406,” written by Nathan Hensley, a rising third year student at the University of Chicago School of Law.
The Brian J. Dougherty Memorial Award is awarded to the paper entitled “Is a Normal Transaction a Prohibited Transaction? Prohibited Service Transactions in Retirement Plan Administration: Navigating Circuit Splits and Policy under ERISA,” written by Alexander (Alec) Sewall, a rising third year student at the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
Additionally, the Board of Governors of the ACEBC® was so impressed with the high level of writing this year that it designated three papers as “Honorable Mention” for:
- “The Uncertain Future of ERISA Section 502(a)(2) Arbitration,” written by Kelsey Roberts, 2024 graduate, University of Chicago.
- “An Ongoing Mental Health Epidemic: The Need for Stronger Mental Health Parity Laws in the United States,” written by Halim Nurdin, 2024 graduate, Drexel University.
- “The “Meaningful Benchmark” Standard as Applied to ERISA’s Duty of Prudence,” written by Kasey Lee, 2024 graduate, Fordham University.