Deadline
June 1, 2012
Description
The University of Connecticut School of Law has established a Student Legal Writing Competition to encourage and reward original student writing on legal issues affecting persons struggling with homelessness, mental illness, addiction, or substance abuse.
Topic
Entrants should submit a paper on a legal issue affecting persons struggling with homelessness, mental illness, addiction, or substance abuse.
Eligibility
Papers will be accepted from any student enrolled for the 2011-12 academic year in an ABA-accredited law school in the United States or Canada. Papers must be the law student author’s own work and must not have been submitted for publication elsewhere. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a student may incorporate professorial feedback as part of a course requirement or supervised writing project. All students intending to enter the competition must register by April 16, 2012. The registration form is available via http://www.law.uconn.edu/node/9768
Format
Papers should be a minimum of 15 pages in length and shall not exceed 30 pages, including footnotes. They must be typed, double-spaced and with one-inch margins, on 8 ‘lz x 11 inch paper, in a 12-point font, such as Times New Roman. All citations and footnotes should conform to the current edition of The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation and should be in a 12-point font.
Judging
Papers will be judged by a panel appointed by the University of Connecticut School of Law. Judges will evaluate papers based on the substance, clarity of the proposal or thesis, logical force, support of argument, and quality of research. Grammar, syntax, and form will also be taken into consideration.
Submission
Entries must be received by Spm on June 1, 2012. Entries must be submitted in two formats: (1) email an electronic version (in l’llicrosoft Word or PDF format) to Jennifer.Mailly@law.uconn.edu; and (2) mail, with a postmark dated by June 1, 2012, four copies of the paper to:
Student Legal Writing Competition
University of Connecticut School of Law
Attn: Prof. Jennifer Mailly
55 Elizabeth Street
Hartford, CT 061 OS
Papers are judged anonymously, and no identifying information should appear on either the original or the copies of the paper. Entrants must submit a separate cover letter listing the author’s name, address, telephone number, email address, name of law school, and year of graduation.
Awards
Up to three cash prizes may be awarded: $750 First Prize, $500 Second Prize, and $250 Third Prize. The contest organizers reserve the right not to award prizes if no papers meet quality standards. Winners will be notified by July 16, 2012. All decisions of the judges are final.