Student Bar Association Award

The 2024-2025 National Award period is now open. All Nominations must be approved by the Law School Dean or Associate/Assistant Dean and  received by the ABA Law Student Division on or before 12 noon (CDT), Saturday, April 26, 2025 via the Electronic Nomination Form.

The forms for the award are available in the nomination packet.

See each year's winners of the award in our awards archive.

The Student Bar Association Award recognizes the efforts of an SBA organization to create a better environment for law students and a more positive image of the legal profession. 

Eligibility 

Student Bar Associations at ABA-approved law schools. 

Part A – Contact Information 

You will be required to provide accurate contact information for the following individuals: 

1. Nominee 
2. Nominator 
3. Law School SBA President 
4. Law School ABA Representative 
5. Law School Dean 

Part B – Nominee Background Information 

You will be required to provide the following background information regarding the nominee: 

1. Overall total 2023-2024 SBA budget
2. 2023-2024 law school enrollment
3. Number of 2023-2024 programs/events
4. 2023-2024 total SBA membership
5. Student SBA membership fee
6. Are SBA fees included in tuition? If “no”, how are SBA funds/membership fees acquired?
7. Number of SBA officers
8. Number of SBA board members
9. List of 2023-2024 SBA leadership positions

Part C – Narrative Questions (1,250 Word Limit) 

In the narrative portion of the Nomination Packet, you will be required to answer the following questions about your nominee using a maximum of 1,250 words: 

1. Events and Programming: Describe the three (3) most significant events/programs your SBA was responsible for this past academic year and how they benefited the law school student body. Optional: Space permitting, feel free to list additional events/programs your SBA was involved in beyond the top three (3).
2. Internal Structure/Communication with Student Body: Tell us how the SBA’s internal structure and organization allowed it to better serve your student body this year. How did the SBA effectively interact and communicate with the student body?
3. Improvements: What new and innovative ideas/programs/events did the Student Bar Association implement this academic school year to benefit the law school and/or the law school learning experience for the student body? How did your SBA effectively realize its vision for the year and reach its goal?
4. Interaction with Faculty/Administration: Provide examples of how the SBA interacted with the faculty/ administration and represented student issues before them. What improvements to the law school and/or law school learning experience resulted from these efforts?
5. Leadership within the Local Legal/Non-Legal Community: Describe the SBA’s interaction with the local legal and non-legal communities including partnerships formed and networking opportunities established for law students. Explain how the SBA effectively represented your law school to the outside community.
6. National/Circuit/State-Wide Leadership: Describe the SBA’s commitment to providing opportunities to the law student body through participation in activities and events on a national, circuit, and state-wide level including its involvement in and support of the ABA Law Student Division.

Part D – Nominator’s Certification 

As the nominator, you will be required to certify that: 

1. The information contained in the Nomination Packet is true and accurate to the best of your knowledge. 
2. The narrative answering the questions in Part C contains no more than 1,250 words. 

Part E – Dean’s Certification 

In order for your nomination to be considered by the ABA Law Student Division Awards Selection  Committee, the Law School Dean or Assistant Dean must affirm your nomination by signing Part E  of the Nomination Packet. Nominators are responsible for completing the Nomination Form in its  entirety and obtaining the dean's signature certifying his/her approval of the nomination.