Writing Competitions for Young Lawyers and Law Students

Dozens of young lawyers and law students are honored each year through ABA member groups’ awards. These ABA awards recognize public service, professionalism, community involvement in the legal profession, and much more.

Other Young Lawyer and Law Student Opportunities

Career-advancing fellowships, internships & clerkships. Professional recognition through awards and writing competitions. Financial assistance like funded travel and scholarships. Each year the ABA offers 100+ opportunities and programs for young lawyers and law students.

Standing Committee on Lawyer's Professional Liability
Edward C. Mendrzycki Award

• Sponsoring ABA Entity: Lawyers' Professional Liability
• Description: Since 1998, the ABA's Standing Committee on Lawyers' Professional Liability has hosted a scholarly writing contest for law students and young lawyers encouraging scholarship and innovative research and writing in the area of legal malpractice law, professional liability insurance, and loss prevention. The Committee's writing competition has long been sponsored by San Francisco law firm Long & Levit, LLP. The winner of the Edward C. Mendrzycki Award will receive a cash prize of $5,000.00, round trip airfare to San Juan, Puerto
  Rico, a 2 night hotel stay at the Fairmont Hotel El San Juan and conference
  registration to attend the 2023 LPL Spring Conference
• Deadline: February 15, 2023
• Who is eligible: Law Students, Young Lawyers

Armed Forces Law — Law Student Writing Contest of the Standing Committee on Armed Forces Law

• Sponsoring ABA Entity: Standing Committee on Armed Forces Law
• Description: The Law Student Writing Contest of the Standing Committee on Armed Forces Law (SCAFL) is a competitive writing contest with the goal of recognizing law students who have exceptional written work that focuses on the military’s application of criminal law—also known as military justice.
• Deadline: Applications typically close each year in November.
  
• Who is eligible: Law Students

Criminal Justice —  William W. Greenhalgh Student Writing Competition

• Sponsoring ABA Entity: Criminal Justice
• Description: This Competition is sponsored by Criminal Justice (“Section”) of the American Bar Association (“ABA”), (the “Sponsor”). The goal of the Competition is to encourage law students to become involved in the Section. It is also intended to attract students to the Criminal Justice practice field, and to encourage scholarship in this field. Each entrant must follow the rules of the competition detailed herein.
• Deadline: Applications typically close each year in July.
  
• Who is eligible: Law Students

Dispute Resolution —  James B. Boskey Law Student Essay Contest

• Sponsoring ABA Entity: Dispute Resolution
• Description: The purpose of the competition is to create greater interest in the field of dispute resolution among law students.
• Deadline: Applications typically close each year in June.
  
• Who is eligible: Law Students

Environment Energy & Resources — SEER Law Student Writing Competitions

• Sponsoring ABA Entity: Environment Energy & Resources
• Description: SEER sponsors up to eight law student writing competitions each year. Topics vary.
• Deadline: Varies by topic.
  
• Who is eligible: Law Students

Family Law — Schwab Writing Contest

• Sponsoring ABA Entity: Family Law
• Description: The purpose of the Howard C. Schwab Memorial Essay Contest is to create greater interest in the field of family law among all law students, and particularly the Law Student Division of the American Bar Association.
• Deadline: Applications typically close each year in April.
  
• Who is eligible: Law Students

Health Law — Health Law Section Law Student Writing Competition

• Sponsoring ABA Entity: Health Law
• Description: The ABA Health Law Section is now accepting entries for our Annual Health Law Student Writing Competition, a writing competition open to any law student in good standing and currently enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school, over the age of 21, and who is a citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States. The first place winner will have consideration for publication in The Health Lawyer, the Health Law Section’s award-winning flagship journal, receive a $500 honorarium, airfare, 2 nights hotel, and 2 days $50 per diem to attend our 22nd Annual Emerging Issues in Healthcare Law Conference, April 27-29. 2022 in Miami, FL.
• Deadline: Applications typically close each year in December.
  
• Who is eligible: Law Students

Infrastructure & Regulated Industries Section — K. William Kolbe Writing Competition

• Sponsoring ABA Entity: Infrastructure & Regulated Industries Section
• Description: The section seeks entries for its writing competition from all law students who are enrolled in ABA-approved law schools and are members of the ABA Law Student Division. The prize is $2,500 and airfare and hotel accommodations to attend the Section’s Fall Council Meeting.
• Deadline: Applications typically close each year in June.
  
• Who is eligible: Law Students

Public Contract Law — Section of Public Contract Law Writing Competition

• Sponsoring ABA Entity: Public Contract Law
• Description: Through our annual writing competition, the PCL Section introduces itself to the next generation of public contract lawyers. In addition to cash awards, quality papers are considered for publication in the Public Contract Law Journal. Papers should address a topical issue of interest to the public contract and grant law community. The competition is conducted in two divisions — law students and young lawyers/LL.M students. Each division will be judged separately, and separate prizes will be awarded to the winner(s) of each division.
• Deadline: Applications typically close each year in September.
  
• Who is eligible: Young Lawyers, Law Students, LLM students

Real Property Trust & Estate Law — Law Student Writing Competition

• Sponsoring ABA Entity: Real Property Trust & Estate Law
• Description: The goal of the Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law student writing contest is to encourage and reward law student writing on the subjects of real property or trust and estate law. It is designed to attract students to these law specialties, and to encourage scholarship and interest in these areas.
• Deadline: Applications typically close each year in May.
  
• Who is eligible: Law Students

Standing Committee on  on Armed Forces Law —  Law Student Writing Contest of the Standing Committee on Armed Forces Law

• Sponsoring ABA Entity: Standing Committee on Armed Forces Law
• Description: The Law Student Writing Contest of the Standing Committee on Armed Forces Law (SCAFL) is a competitive writing contest with the goal of recognizing law students who have exceptional written work that focuses on the military’s application of criminal law—also known as military justice.
• Deadline: Applications typically close each year in November.
• Who is eligible: Law Students

Standing Committee on Lawyers and Professional Responsibility — Ed Mendrzycki Essay Contest

• Sponsoring ABA Entity: Standing Committee on Lawyers and Professional Responsibility
• Description: Essay contest for law students and young lawyers encouraging scholarship and innovative research and writing in the area of legal malpractice law, professional liability insurance, and loss prevention.
• Deadline: Applications typically close each year in February.
  
• Who is eligible: Law Students, Young Lawyers

State & Local Government Law — The Urban Lawyer

• Sponsoring ABA Entity: State & Local Government Law
• Description: The Urban Lawyer (TUL) welcomes submissions of Articles, Comments, Notes, Essays, and Student Notes on issues of significance in state, local, regional or tribal government law or urban legal affairs, including, without limitation the areas of land use, housing, environmental and energy law, ethics, local government, civil rights, employment, labor, public education, elections and voting rights, emergency management, resiliency, public contracts, public finance, the sharing economy and construction law.
• Deadline: This writing competition is an annual event.  Articles are due to the Section by January 15, and the winners would be announced by February 15.  Submissions will be reviewed blindly by the ULAB. 
  
• Who is eligible: Law Students, Young Lawyers, Paralegals, Affiliated Professionals

Taxation — Law Student Tax Challenge

• Sponsoring ABA Entity: Taxation
• Description: An alternative to traditional moot court competitions, the Law Student Tax Challenge (LSTC) is organized by the Section’s Young Lawyers Form. The LSTC asks two-person teams of students to solve a complex business problem that might arise in everyday tax practice.
  
  Teams are initially evaluated on two criteria: a memorandum to a senior partner and a letter to a client explaining the result. Based on the written work product, six teams from the J.D. Division and four teams from the LL.M. Division receive a free trip to the Section’s Midyear Meeting, where each team presents its submission before a panel of judges consisting of the country’s top tax practitioners and government officials, including tax court judges.
  
  The competition is a great way for law students to showcase their knowledge in a real-world setting and gain valuable exposure to the tax law community.
• Deadline: Applications typically close each year in November.
  
• Who is eligible: Law Students

Tort Trial & Insurance Practice — Admiralty and Maritime Law Writing Competition

• Sponsoring ABA Entity: Tort Trial & Insurance Practice
• Description: The TIPS Admiralty and Maritime Law Committee offers an annual writing competition for law students interested in the field.
• Deadline: Applications typically close each year in April.
• Who is eligible: Law Students

Tort Trial & Insurance Practice — Aviation and Space Law Writing Competition

• Sponsoring ABA Entity: Tort Trial & Insurance Practice
• Description: The TIPS Aviation and Space Law Committee offers an annual writing competition to students interested in the field.
• Deadline: Applications typically close each year in September.
  
• Who is eligible: Law Students

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