law essay competition 2022 year 12

Trinity College was pleased to launch the Robert Walker Prize for Essays in Law in 2013. The prize is named after the Rt Hon. The Lord Walker of Gestingthorpe GBS PC (1938–2023), a judicial member of the House of Lords from 2002 and Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom from its creation in 2009 until his retirement in 2013. Lord Walker read law at Trinity, and became an Honorary Fellow of the College in 2006. He was a generous and dedicated supporter of Law at Trinity, meeting current and prospective students at College events, judging moots (legal debates) and helping to connect the practice of law with its academic study.

The Robert Walker Prize has three objectives:

• to encourage students with an interest in Law to explore that interest by researching, considering and developing an argument about a legal topic of importance to modern society;
• to encourage those interested in Law to apply for a university course in Law; and
• to recognise the achievements of high-calibre students, from whatever background they may come.

The 2024 competition has closed.

The rules for the competition are as set out below:

• Essays can be of any length up to 2,000 words (including any footnotes).
• If there are special reasons why a potential candidate cannot submit an essay online, a request exceptionally to submit in hard copy may be made. Requests will be considered by the Law Fellows. Please contact the Admissions Office at Trinity College Cambridge, CB2 1TQ; tel: +44(0)1223 338422; fax: +44 (0)1223 338584; email:  [email protected] .
• The competition is open to students in their final or penultimate year of secondary school, except students who have entered the competition in the past. No individual student may submit more than one entry into the competition.
• Candidates may discuss the subject matter of the essay with other students and teachers at their school; however, the formulation of the argument and the writing of the essay must be the work of the student alone.
• Essays will be assessed by reference to a range of factors, including the development of argument, the quality of expression and the appropriate use of supporting facts and material.
• Entries will be considered in two divisions: a United Kingdom Division and an International Division.
• It is anticipated that first prizes of £300 and second prizes of £200 may be awarded in each Division; the prizes may be shared.
• It is anticipated that the authors of the ten top-placed essays in each Division will be invited to a Prize Ceremony at Trinity to see the College and to meet the Law Fellows.
• The decisions of the judges are final; no correspondence will be entered into. Essays will not be returned, so candidates should keep a copy for their own reference.

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PAST ROBERT WALKER PRIZE-WINNERS

2024 (244 entries):

First Prize (United Kingdom Division): Duncan MacColl, Birkdale School First Prize (International Division): Sijia Cai, Raffles Institution Second Prize (United Kingdom Division): Milo Sinclair, Haberdashers’ Boys’ School Second Prize (International Division): Vinayak Kedia, Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, Vasundhara, Ghaziabad

2023 (153 entries):

First Prize (United Kingdom Division): Chloe Green, Royal Grammar School Newcastle First Prize (International Division): Minh Phuong Dang Tran, Raffles Institution (Singapore) Second Prize (United Kingdom Division): Jessica Williamson, Tiffin Girls’ School Second Prize (International Division): Ziqi Li, Shenzhen High School (China)

2022 (172 entries):

First Prize (United Kingdom Division): Jiwon Heo, St Paul’s Girls’ School First Prize (International Division): Kaitlyn B Wong, Chinese International School (Hong Kong) Second Prize (United Kingdom Division): Toby Bowles, Rushcliffe Spencer Academy Second Prize (International Division): Nikki Han, Queenwood School for Girls (Australia)

2021 (278 entries):

First Prize (United Kingdom Division): Ben Mays (Colyton Grammar School) First Prize (International Division): Yu Du (Raffles Institution, Singapore)

Second Prize (United Kingdom Division): Afzal Hussain (Eton College) Second Prize (International Division): Judy Yi Ting Ma (Presbyterian Ladies’ College, Australia)

2020 (175 entries):

First Prize (United Kingdom Division): George Hargreaves (Royal Grammar School, Guildford) First Prize (International Division): Antonia Vig (Colegiul Național Alexandru Papiu Ilarian, Romania) Second Prize (United Kingdom Division): Charlotte Fowler (Highgate School) Second Prize (International Division): Annabelle Chua (Hwa Chong Institution, Singapore)

2019 (107 entries):

First Prize (United Kingdom Division): Christopher Long (Woodbridge School) First Prize (International Division): Jonathan Teng (Raffles Institution) Second Prize (United Kingdom Division): Eleanor Hargrove (King’s College School, Wimbledon) Second Prize (International Division): Wong Zi Yang (Raffles Institution)

2018 (154 entries):

First Prize (United Kingdom Division): David Edwards-Ker (Westminster School) First Prize (International Division): Gergely Berces (Milestone Institute, Hungary) Second Prize (United Kingdom Division): Dorothy Biyere (Sutton Grammar School) Second Prize (International Division): Xinyi Gao (Hwa Chong Institution, Singapore)

2017 (135 entries):

First Prize (United Kingdom Division): Eve Loveman (Peter Symonds’ College) First Prize (International Division): Lauren Park (Pymble Ladies’ College, Australia) Second Prize (United Kingdom Division): Mary Hassan (St. Michael’s Catholic Grammar School) Second Prize (International Division): Ruilin Fang (Dunman High School, Singapore)

2016 (112 entries):

First Prize (United Kingdom Division): Ellis Napier (Lawnswood School) First Prize (International Division): Allegra McCormack (Kambala, Australia) Second Prize (United Kingdom Division): Johnny McCausland (Wellington College) Second Prize (International Division): Gabriel Tan Jin Hsi (Hwa Chong Institution, Singapore)

First Prize (shared): Charlotte Witney (Saffron Walden County High School) First Prize (shared): Ricky Ham (Pymble Ladies’ College, Australia) Second Prize (shared): Priya Radia (North London Collegiate School) Second Prize (shared): Katharine Cook (Wellington College)

First Prize: Noelle Huang (Hwa Chong Institution, Singapore) Second Prize: John Cheung (Abingdon School)

First Prize: Emily Harbach (Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls) Second Prize: Alistair Ho (Merchant Taylors’ School)

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Gwyneth Bebb Law Essay Competition

Home → Study Here → Outreach → Essay Competitions → Gwyneth Bebb Law Essay Competition

The Principal and Fellows of St Hugh’s College are pleased to offer a prize of up to £500 for the best essay written in response the question:

Defend one of the following two propositions:

• The deployment of juries as part of this country’s criminal trial procedure should be abolished.
• There is no particular reason for our judiciary to be representative of this country’s population.

No detailed knowledge of English law is required to answer it; indeed, while cases reported in the national media may be referred to, entrants should not look to cite any specific case law or statutes in their work. Rather, they are encouraged to think about things a matter of principle. The judges will be looking out for an entrant’s ability to reason from wider precepts and to construct clear and coherent arguments.

Entry is restricted to pupils who, at the closing date, have been in the Sixth Form of any state-funded school or college for a period of not more than two years.

Entries should be 1500 – 2000 words in length, including any material in the footnotes which is additional commentary or content related to your essay. References or citations in footnotes, and your bibliography, are not included in this word count. You are welcome to use whichever style of referencing you prefer. Essays must be submitted in PDF format.

The 2024 competition is now closed. Details of this year’s winning essays can be found to the right of this page.

Details of the 2025 competitions will be published in late January/early February 2025.

Please direct any enquiries to [email protected]

Gwyneth Bebb (1889-1921), was one of the first women to be awarded a degree in Law at Oxford, and the first to achieve first-class honours; she was an educational and legal pioneer.

2024 gwyneth bebb prize winners.

Nick Warrier – Westcliff High School for Boys, Southend-on-Sea (Year 12)

The deployment of juries as part of this country’s criminal trial procedure should be abolished

Second Place

Deetya Prabhu – Wallington High School for Girls, Wallington (Year 12)

William Smith – St Ambrose College, Altrincham (Year 12)

The winners and a number of others who were highly commended were invited to a celebratory tea in College in September.

Privacy Overview

Writing Competition

The  Harvard Law Review  is composed of second- and third-year law students who are selected via a six-day writing competition at the end of each academic year. The Review strongly encourages all students to participate in the writing competition, which consists of two parts:

• Subcite: this portion, worth 50% of the competition score, requires students to perform a technical and substantive edit of an excerpt from an unpublished article
• Case Comment : this portion, also worth 50%, requires students to describe and analyze a recent case

The competition uses a closed universe of materials provided to all competition-takers; no additional outside research of any kind is allowed or required. The use of any form of Artificial Intelligence during the competition is also strictly prohibited.

Based on the competition, fifty-four second-year students are invited to join the Review each year, including:

• Twenty selected based solely on competition scores
• Seven (one from each 1L section) selected based on an equally weighted combination of competition scores and first-year grades
• Three (from any section) selected based on an equally weighted combination of competition scores and first-year grades
• Twenty-four selected through an anonymous holistic review (see below for details)

The  Review  is committed to a diverse and inclusive membership and encourages all students to participate in the writing competition. Harvard Law School students who are interested in joining the  Review  must write the competition at the end of their first year, even if they plan to take time off during law school or are pursuing a joint degree and plan to spend time at another graduate school.

Timeline & Resources

The 2024 Competition will take place from Sunday, May 12 to Saturday, May 18 . Writing competition tips and Q&A sessions will be held in early and mid-April.

Registration will open in April 2024. We expect to invite editors to join Volume 139 over the course of several days in late July. Orientation for new editors is scheduled for the week of July 22nd and will take place remotely. Volume 139 will resume a past practice of an in-person Orientation for half a day near the start of the Fall 2024 Semester. Editors are expected to be fully available during this time. In August, editors will have Law Review assignments, but these assignments can be completed simultaneously with other commitments (internships, events, travel, etc.).

For more information about the competition, the following resources are available:

• The 2024 Application and Information Packet . The application information packet is designed to provide some specific guidance about approaching the case comment and subcite portions of the competition. Please note that the sample competition submissions included in the packet are merely representative and are by no means definitive examples.
• Tips Session and Q&A. Video of our April 1, 2024 writing competition tips session and our April 11, 2024 subcite Q & A session is available on our YouTube channel. The. This questions and answers document summarizes the Q&A portion of the April 13, 2023 session.
• Factsheet: This document responds to common questions and concerns we have heard.
• Sample Schedules: This includes a variety of writing competition schedules used by current editors.
• FAQ on Accommodations . See below for more information on disabilities and accommodations.

Competition & Membership Policies

Holistic consideration.

Applicants will have the opportunity to convey aspects of their identity which have led to the development of character qualities or unique abilities that can contribute to the Law Review , including but not limited to their racial or ethnic identity, disability status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. Applicants can do so by submitting an additional expository statement.  Statements will be considered by the Selection Committee only after grading of the competition has been completed. Statements will remain anonymous and will not be evaluated for quality of writing or editing, nor will they be assigned a numerical score.

Applicants are welcome to draft their expository statements before the competition week begins, and the prompt for the 200-word statement is as follows:

“You are strongly encouraged to use the space below to submit a typed expository statement of no more than 200 words. This statement may identify and describe aspects of your identity which have impacted your development of certain character qualities or unique abilities that can serve as an asset to the Law Review and are not fully captured by the categories on the previous page, including, but not limited to, racial or ethnic identity, socioeconomic background, disability (physical, intellectual, cognitive/ neurological, psychiatric, sensory, developmental, or other), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, country of origin or international status, religious identity or expression, undergraduate institution(s), age, academic or career trajectory prior to law school, military status, cultural background, or parental/caretaker status. Additionally or alternatively, you may use this statement to identify and describe areas of academic or scholarly interest, career goals, or any other element of your identity that you would bring to your work on the Law Review .

Statements will be considered only after grading of the subcite and case comment sections of the competition has been completed. Statements will not be evaluated for quality of writing or editing, nor will they be assigned a numerical score. No applicant will be penalized in any way for not submitting an optional statement, and all optional statements are completely confidential.”

Deferral & Leave

Harvard Law Review will invite students to join Vol. 139 in mid-July. Students invited to join Vol. 138 who are taking a full-year leave of absence from HLS will be allowed to defer their membership in Law Review for the year. They may then join the Law Review as members of Vol. 140 in fall 2025 and serve as editors for two years. Editors typically serve for two full academic years to ensure ample time for training, acclimation to their roles on the Review , and opportunities to make collective decisions about our work.

Students invited to join Vol. 139 who are taking a fall-semester leave of absence from HLS are encouraged to still join as editors with Vol. 139. If joining with Vol. 139, editors will be expected to complete Law Review work during the fall, even though they are on leave from HLS. They will then serve as editors for two years. Alternatively, students taking a one-semester leave may wait to join until fall of the following year (fall 2025); in that case, they will have no Law Review obligations during the 2024-2025 academic year and will participate as Law Review editors for a single year.

Transfer Students

Prospective transfer students may take the competition at the same time as Harvard Law School 1Ls. Prospective transfer students are selected on the same anonymous grading basis as Harvard 1Ls and are eligible for 44 of the spots on the Review (in other words, all spots besides the 10 allotted to Harvard 1Ls for whom first-year grades play a role). Prospective transfer students may submit an anonymized, unofficial transcript when their 1L grades are released if they would like their grades to be considered in the Law Review ’s holistic review process. The Review ’s membership decisions do not affect the admissions decisions of Harvard Law School.

Recognizing that the competition schedule poses unique challenges to prospective transfer applicants, the Review also allows transfer students to take the competition at the end of their 2L year. Up to four spots are available for such students. However, no student may attempt the competition more than once, and this option is only available to transfer students who did not previously take the competition. Like prospective transfer students, rising third-year students may submit their grades, but they will not be eligible for the 10 slots that incorporate first-year grades.

Prospective 1L transfer students should email [email protected] for information about registering.

SJD Students

SJD students at Harvard Law School may serve as editors of the Law Review . To join, SJDs take the same writing competition as JD students and are eligible for 44 of the editorial positions (all spots besides those allotted to JD 1Ls for whom first-year grades play a role). SJDs should take the competition only if they are certain they have at least two years remaining in their program of study. Additionally, as with all candidates, SJDs are permitted to participate in the writing competition only once.

Disabilities & Accommodations

The Harvard Law Review is firmly committed to providing accommodations for students with disabilities and handles requests on a case-by-case basis. The Law Review is an independent entity and thus has its own accommodations system separate from Harvard Law School’s Dean of Students Office.

Accommodations requests can be submitted between Monday, March 11th and Friday, April 12th and will be processed on a rolling basis. Students are strongly encouraged to submit their accommodation requests as soon as possible even if they are not yet certain they will take the competition. Please see our answers to FAQ on accommodations to learn more about what documentation is needed.

The Law Review strives to keep information regarding disabilities and accommodations as confidential as possible. Nothing about your accommodations application or your receipt of accommodations will be part of the Competition entry that is considered in the selection process. All Competition grading is doubly anonymized. Jennifer Heath, a non-student HLR staff member manages the logistics related to our accommodations process, and accommodations recommendations to the Law Review are made by our testing consultant, Dr. Loring Brinckerhoff.

Future Lawyer Blog

Getting ahead: essay competition opportunities 2022-23.

There are a wide range of different essay competitions that run each year for law students. You can see the full list of these on Learnmore with information that we know now, but this will be updated throughout the year. Here are a couple with deadlines coming up you might like to crack on with.

The Bar Council Law Reform Essay Competition

The biggest law essay competition in the UK has a deadline next month (21st October 2022). Unlike other competitions, the Bar Council asks you to get creative, making the case as to what law reform to English, Welsh or European law you think needs to happen. Here’s what the Chair of the Law Reform Committee has to say about the competition:

“We are delighted to announce that the 2022 Law Reform Essay competition is now open. The Committee are looking forward to reading your ideas for law reform. We are also very grateful to The City Law School for their generous sponsorship of the competition, in the first year of what we hope will be a long and fruitful partnership.” Iain MacDonald, Chair of the Law Reform Committee

Excitingly you can see all of the essays from previous winners from 2015 onwards on the Bar Council website, giving lots of inspiration for your own. There have been lots of past winners from our students at City, so be great to see lots of entries from this year’s cohort too.

Oooo I haven’t mentioned the prizes!?

• £4,000 for the winner
• £2,500 for the runner-up
• £1,500 for best GDL entry
• £1,000 for GDL entry runner-up
• 2 x £500 highly commended entries

The Andrew Lockley Public Law Essay Competition 2022

Perfect for all those aspiring Public Law and Human Rights solicitors out there! Irwin Mitchell LLP have launched this competition in honour of their first head of the PLHR team at the firm.

This is the title to get your teeth into:

Following withdrawal of the Bill of Rights by Liz Truss’ government, it’s widely believed that future reform of the Human Rights Act 1998 is still on the agenda. Please set out the pros and cons of reform, drawing on key provisions that had been intended for the former draft Bill of Rights.

Have a look at the competition website for full details but the headline elements are as follows:

• No more than 1,000 words long
• Open to law students, graduates, trainee solicitors and paralegals practising public law and human rights or having an interest in that area of law.
• Deadline is 14th October
• Prize is a £200 Blackwell’s gift card, plus the obvious profile-raising effect of being a winner!

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Law Reform Essay Competition

The Bar Council's Law Reform Essay Competition is aimed at developing and fostering an interest in law reform. Students and pupils are invited to submit essays making the case to reform English, Welsh and European law.

The Law Reform Essay Competition 2024 is now open. 

Timeline and key dates

• 4 July 2024: competition opens
• 24 October 2024, 17:00 : competition closes

The competition prizes are available in the following categories:

• The winner: £4,000, and their essay published on Counsel magazine's website
• Runner-up: £2,500 
• Best GDL entry: £1,500
• Runner-up GDL entry: £1,000
• Highly commended award: 2 x £500

We hope that the prize money will be used to contribute to the legal education or legal career of the prize winners.

All prize winners will be invited to meet members of the Law Reform Committee at a small reception held at a set of chambers.

Previous winners and barristers share their thoughts on the competition, and offer essay-writing tips.

Check your eligibility and the rules for the Law Reform Essay Competition.

How to apply for the Law Reform Essay Competition.

Past winners

See the previous winners of the Law Reform Essay Competition.

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2022 Law Essay Writing Competition

Topic: “Legal Remedies to Combat Climate Change”

Competition Details: The Hogan/Smoger Access to Justice Essay Competition is sponsored by R. Ben Hogan III of Hogan Law Office, PC, in Birmingham, Alabama, and Gerson H. Smoger of Smoger & Associates in Dallas, Texas, and Oakland, California. It is administered by Public Citizen.

Submission Deadline: Submissions must be emailed on or before Friday, April 29, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, to Amanda Fleming at [email protected] . Papers emailed after this date will not be considered.

Eligibility: The competition is open to all current law students, post 2015 law graduates, and all masters of law students. All entries must be in English with Bluebook citations on American law. Co-authored submissions are eligible; if selected, the co-authors will share the prize. Each submission must be an original, unpublished academic work, but simultaneous submissions will be accepted.

Format: Submissions must be emailed as Microsoft Word documents. They may be full-length law review articles or shorter academic essays and should use footnotes (not endnotes). The word count may be between 6,000 and 25,000 words, not including footnotes. All entries must be in English with Bluebook citations citations on American law.

Judging Process: A panel of lawyers, including law professors and practitioners, will judge the submissions based on depth of analysis, quality of writing, originality, and thoroughness.

Winning Submission and Prizes: The winner will be notified by email. The winner will receive $5,000. Only one winning paper will be chosen and only one prize awarded.

Information: Please contact Amanda Fleming, [email protected] with any questions.

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Law Essay Competition for Students: the winning essay, 2022

Parklane Plowden have a shared vision which is to ‘ make a positive difference in all we do ’ through expert advice and advocacy, excellent client care and by being the place where talented people want to work. We are committed to increasing diversity at the Bar generally, and Chambers specifically. In March 2022 , we partnered with the University of Leeds Law School to invite their students for a chance to win £250 and be published on parklaneplowden.co.uk , as well as the University of Leeds, School of Law websites.

The winning essay is the answer to the below question:

What are the most pressing equality, diversity and inclusion issues facing the Bar today, and how can we overcome them?

The Bar: Achieving Equality for All

An Analysis of the Issues Concerning Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity at England’s Bar.

Written by Katherine Lytle , LLB Student at the University of Leeds

March 25, 2022

The idea of equality, diversity and inclusion at the Bar seems quite paradoxical. Comprised of Barristers, the individuals whose roles are to advocate for individuals’ rights, the system remains unequal to minority groups. The 2022 Bar Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Directory recognizes several minority groups that remain disadvantaged at the Bar, including women, people of colour, individuals with disabilities, and those belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community; although the most commonly reported issues relate to gender and ethnicity. 1 While organizations at the Bar have made a concerted effort to minimize the disadvantages faced by these groups, such as the Bar Standards Board (BSB), The International Bar Association, and the Bar Council, what remains is a Bar that is not representative of our wider, diverse society. As Lord Neuberger has stated, “The Bar can only flourish and retain public confidence if it is a diverse and inclusive profession. 2

While the Bar as a whole has become more inclusive, the statistics remain troubling. Research on female and BAME Barristers highlights that, despite more entering the Bar, fewer move onto senior positions and remain in less prestigious specialities. 3 The Law Society, in a report on Undergraduates in Law, reported that of those accepted into Law courses in 2020, 70% were female and 41% were of minority ethnic groups. 4 The BSB 2021 Statistics, however, prove an unsettling reality that only 39% of practising Barristers and only 18% of the Queen’s Counsel are women. 5 Further analysis shows that 61% of the Family Bar is made of female Barristers, while only 25% are at the Commercial and Chancery Bar. 6 The same troubling statistics from the BSB apply to Barristers of minority ethnic backgrounds, which comprise only 15% of practising Barristers and 9% of the Queen’s Counsel. 7

A 2020 BSB Report also suggests an underrepresentation of individuals with disabilities, comprising only 6.3% of the Bar, compared to 11.3% of the workforce. 8 This is indicative of the systematic obstacles faced by minorities at the Bar.

Two further issues concerning minority groups at the Bar must be addressed for wide-scale change to take place. The first involves the lack of diversity among the Boards and Counsels that are tasked with encouraging equality and diversity (E&D) at the Bar. As Amanda Pinto QC has noted, not only has the Bar Council not done enough to support minority Barristers, but the Counsel itself is not diverse enough to be its most effective. 9 A second issue concerns the lack of attention that issues of diversity at the Bar are given in comparison to Solicitors. 10 Steven Vaughan, Senior Lecturer at University College London has noted that there is a particular lack of attention towards the intersectionality of Barristers in question, with most data simply stating their gender or ethnicity. 11 Not only are there are many other minority groupings that must be considered to compile accurate data, but how they intersect with each individual is also of importance.

While it is clear that there are significant issues with E&D at the Bar, acknowledgement and understanding is only the first step to making a more diverse practice. Recommendations from different reports, including the Bar EDI Directory, The Bar Council’s 2021 Race at the Bar Report, The Legal Services Board, and the BSB 2020 Anti-Racist Statement, provide a good guide for how the Bar as a whole, and individual chambers, can improve E&D. Three overarching goals should be considered: increased data collection; creation of an action plan and targets; and enforcing positive action measures and accountability. To begin with, it is essential that chambers complete a yearly E&D audit, both of staff and existing policies, to ensure a clear understanding of the nature and extent of inequalities faced, to properly implement changes. 12 Secondly, based on data collected, chambers should create an action plan to better promote E&D, and set yearly targets that must be met. Current statutory guidance should also be considered in creating such targets. 13 At the end of each year, performance should be evaluated and reported. Finally, chambers must take positive action measures and be held accountable. This can be done in a several ways, including:

• Requiring annual diversity and de-bias training. As The Bar Council suggests, all Barristers and Staff working at the Bar should complete annual E&D training, with enhanced training for senior members. 14 This will encourage awareness of the E&D issues at the Bar, which will, in turn, promote an inclusive environment. 15
• Ensuring E&D policies are clear to all Barristers.
• Improving recruitment to avoid bias. As The Bar EDI Directory states, a more inclusive recruitment approach, whereby mitigating circumstances and alternative forms of experience are given higher weighting, is essential. 16
• Establishing an Equality and Diversity Officer to encourage progress and hold senior chamber members to account. 17
• Ensuring leadership on E&D is done from the top, keeping senior members of chamber involved. This will enhance visible leadership and promote sustained action through all levels of the Bar. 18
• Holding ALL chambers accountable for their commitments. Without accountability, ensuring that all members of the Bar commit to increased E&D, we cannot truly make progress.

There is much to be done for the Bar to become a place of inclusion and equality for minority groups. The troubling statistics demonstrate that minority groups' are at a disadvantage in the profession, despite efforts to improve the situation. There is also little attention paid towards diversity among Barristers compared to Solicitors, and a lack of diversity among those spearheading change, resulting in a system of deep-seated prejudice where minority Barristers are not given the opportunity to reach their full potential. For the Bar to become more diverse, and thus reach its fullest potential and credibility, additional measures need to be implemented. Through increased data collection, target-setting, positive action and accountability, the Bar will become the embodiment of the inclusive and diverse society that it represents.

• Amanda Pinto QC, ‘Black Lives Matter: In society, in justice and at the Bar’ (Counsel Magazine, 18 June 2020) https://www.counselmagazine.co.uk/articles/black-lives-matter-in-society-in-justice-and-at-the-bar accessed March 23.
• Bar Standards Board, Diversity at the Bar 2020 (2020).
• Bar Standards Board, ‘Statistics about the Bar’ (Bar Standards Board, 2019) <https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/news-publications/research-and-statistics/statistics-about-the-bar.html> accessed March 23.
• Barbara Mills QC, Simon Regis, ‘Race at the Bar: the time is now’ (Counsel Magazine, 7 January 2022) <https://www.counselmagazine.co.uk/articles/race-at-the-bar-the-time-is-now> accessed March 23.
• Legal Services Board, ‘Encouraging and promoting a diverse legal services sector’ (Legal Services Board, 2020) <https://legalservicesboard.org.uk/our-work/ongoing-work/encouraging-and-promoting-a-diverse-legal-services-sector> accessed March 23.
• Raggi Kotak and Anne Power, ‘The anti-racist chambers’ (Counsel Magazine, 21 December 2021) <https://www.counselmagazine.co.uk/articles/the-anti-racist-chambers> accessed March 23.
• Sam Mercer, ‘All inclusive? Work is ongoing to improve diversity at the Bar’ (2015) 165 New Law Journal 17.
• Steven Vaughan, ‘’Prefer not to say’: diversity and diversity reporting at the bar of England and Wales’ (2017) 24 International Journal of the Legal Profession 207.
• The General Council of the Bar, Entry to the Bar Working Party (Final Report, 2007).
• The General Council of the Bar, Race at the Bar: A Snapshot Report (2021).
• The General Council of the Bar, The Bar Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Directory (2022).
• The Law Society, ‘Entry trends: Undergraduates and graduates in law’ (The Law Society, 25 November 2020) <https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/en/career-advice/becoming-a-solicitor/entry-trends> accessed March 23.
• The General Council of the Bar, The Bar Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Directory (2022) pg. 2, 3.
• The General Council of the Bar, Entry to the Bar Working Party (Final Report, 2007) pg. 5.
• The Law Society, ‘Entry trends: Undergraduates and graduates in law’ (The Law Society, 25 November 2020) https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/en/career-advice/becoming-a-solicitor/entry-trends accessed March 23.
• Bar Standards Board, ‘Statistics about the Bar’ (Bar Standards Board, 2019) https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/news-publications/research-and-statistics/statistics-about-the-bar.html accessed March 23.
• Mercer, ‘All inclusive? Work is ongoing to improve diversity at the Bar’.
• Bar Standards Board, ‘Statistics about the Bar’
• Bar Standards Board, Diversity at the Bar 2020 (2020) pg. 19.
• The Bar Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Directory [pg. 38].
• Legal Services Board, ‘Encouraging and promoting a diverse legal services sector’ (Legal Services Board, 2020) https://legalservicesboard.org.uk/our-work/ongoing-work/encouraging-and-promoting-a-diverse-legal-services-sector accessed March 23.
• The General Council of the Bar, Race at the Bar: A Snapshot Report (2021) pg. 54.
• Raggi Kotak and Anne Power, ‘The anti-racist chambers’ (Counsel Magazine, 21 December 2021) https://www.counselmagazine.co.uk/articles/the-anti-racist-chambers accessed March 23.
• Barbara Mills QC and Simon Regis, ‘Race at the Bar: the time is now’ (Counsel Magazine, 7 January 2022) https://www.counselmagazine.co.uk/articles/race-at-the-bar-the-time-is-now accessed March 23.
• The Bar Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Directory [pg. 24].
• Ibid [pg. 41].

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Hogan Lovells Equality and Diversity Essay Competition 2022

This essay competition is open to all undergraduate students in the Oxford Law Faculty, including those who were finalists in the 2021-2022 academic year.

Competition entries will be judged by a distinguished panel comprised of Rt Hon Lord Justice Singh ,  Kristin van Zwieten   and  Ciara Kennefick .

A prize of £1,000 will be awarded to the winner of the competition. This sum has been set with a view to enabling the prize-winner to take up opportunities for vacation work that might otherwise be inaccessible given travel and accommodation costs. The winning essay will also be published on the Oxford Law website.

A second prize of £250 will be awarded to the runner-up.

The judges may, at their discretion, select additional essays for special commendation. 

Essay question

This year’s question is: What is the role of law in ensuring equality of opportunity in society?

Submissions will be evaluated by reference to the clarity and cogency of the argument developed in response to the question.

Word limit and style

Your essay must be no longer than 2,500 words, including all footnotes/endnotes.

Footnotes/endnotes should be in OSCOLA format. Bibliographies are not required.

Essays should be typed and submitted in Word format, using size 12 font.

Submission process

Essays must be submitted to [email protected] by no later than midday on Monday 19 September 2022 . The winner and runner-up will be announced in the first three weeks of Michaelmas term.

Your covering email should include a statement that the essay you are submitting is entirely your own work, except for where otherwise indicated, as well as a statement of the word count (again, including footnotes/endnotes).

Essays will be anonymised before being given to any judge for evaluation.

Download the terms of the competition

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2022-2023 Law Essay Writing Competition

• Law Student Writing Competition

Each year, PMC challenges law students to examine an issue impacting Pennsylvania's judiciary and write an essay supporting their arguments and/or proposed solutions.

2024 Competition

Sponsored by faegre drinker biddle & reath llp.

Topic: According to recent polling, The U.S. Supreme Court is facing unprecedented skepticism.  Public approval of and trust in The Supreme Court has reached historic lows.  What can be done to restore trust in the Court and confidence that its decisions are apolitical.  How will its recently announced ethics code affect the situation?

Award:  $3,000

Eligible Participants: 2L and 3L students at any Pennsylvania Law School, as well as Rutgers Camden & Newark

Format: 2,000 to 2,300 word argumentative essay

Judges: Members of PMC's Board of Advisors

Deadline: March 22, 2024

Submissions and Questions:  [email protected] .

Past Winners

2024 - Randy R. Goldson, Temple University Beasley School of Law School '24

2023 - Anthony Jessel, University of Pittsburgh School of Law '23

2022 - Constance Hope Long, Rutgers Law School '22

2021 - Apratim Vidyarthi, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School '22

2020 - Jessica Rizzo, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School '21

2019 - Zane Podsobinski, Duquesne University School of Law '19

2017 - Christina Gallagher, Penn State Law '17

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Peter cane legal reasoning prize.

The Peter Cane Legal Reasoning Prize is a fantastic opportunity for aspiring lawyers to analyse a legal text and communicate their analysis.

Peter Cane Prize 2025

Details about the Peter Cane Prize 2025 will be released here in late 2024/early 2025.

The Prize day usually takes place in mid-March. 

Peter Cane Prize 2024

The Peter Cane Prize Giving Day took place on Tuesday 12th March 2024. We welcomed 10 attendees who had received 'Highly Commended' certificates for their work to the College, as well as our second runner up, Sydney Chan, our first runner up Freddy Moorman , and our winner, Isabel Chan .

Congratulations to Isabel, Freddy, and Sydney! And many thanks to all those who participated and sent in their work.

The History of the Peter Cane Prize

The prize was launched in 2017 and seeks to promote engagement with the ideas and reasoning behind law and legal studies, and particular to encourage those from all backgrounds and walks of life to apply to engage with the academic study of law. The prize is named after the distinguished lawyer, Professor Peter Cane, an internationally acclaimed scholar of legal theory, obligations and public law, and Corpus’ first dedicated law fellow. Each year, the final shortlisted candidates are invited to attend an afternoon event hosted by Corpus Christi, with legal workshops and an award ceremony. The Prize is open to all Year 12 and Year 13 students (or equivalent). You can see the sample question  and the sample answers:

Sample answer 1 Sample answer 2 Sample answer 3

If you have questions about the Peter Cane Law Prize, please contact the Outreach Team at  [email protected]

Student voices "My favourite parts were the law workshop and the interactions with the teaching staff, as they gave me a fantastic opportunity to experience university-style teaching. I particularly enjoyed the small-group discussions as they allowed me to discuss ideas with my peers and receive feedback from the tutors" Peter Cane Attendee 2023

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Top 5 Essay Competitions For Law Students in 2022

The new year brings forth new opportunities. Law students are always on the lookout for new challenges and competitions. In this article Team YLCC brings you latest information on leading essay competitions you can apply for. Read on!

• NLIU BHOPAL SHORT STORY WRITING UNDER ‘E- NYAYAGANGA’ ON NATIONAL GIRL CHILD DAY.

Last date of registration – 23 January, 2022 by 2 pm.

Results on – 24 January, 2022  by 6 pm.

Registration fees –  No registration fees.

Prize money – First prize – 5000/- INR .

Second prize – 3000/- INR.

Third prize –  2000/- INR.

Certificate to all the participants.

Theme – The importance of Girl Child in society and Nation Building.

Mode of competition – Online.

Eligibility – No criteria for eligibility.

Submissions procedure  & guidelines –

• The Story must be in a word file converted to PDF.
• Formatting –  Font theme – Times New Roman

Spacing –  1.5

Font size – Heading – 16, Body – 12.

Footnotes – Font size – 10, Spacing – 1.0

• The submitted Short story Copyright will be vested to NLU, Bhopal.
• Maximum words – 1000.
• Language – In all Indian vernacular language including Hindi & English.
• The story must depict the theme it may also related to any issues if patriarchal society, social issues of recent times or of government schemes and polices.
• Selected story will be published on NLU, Bhopal websites.
• Submit your story via this link provided below-   https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfJXdPs6YkjdCclW7PQIdSo0UtzNn27xox7kVsvQ8bGBidXIA/viewform

2. RASHTRIYA RAKSHA UNIVERSITY’S ESSAY COMPETITION.

Last date of registration – 27 January.

Registration fees – Not required .

Prize – RS 15,000/- INR.

Subscription to exclusive legal database.

Certificates of participation.

Theme –  Commentary on State practice on the present International law commission Agenda Items.

You can comment on any Nation’s state practice on the following topics-

• Provisional Application of Treaties.
• Protection of Atmosphere.
• Immunity of State Officials from foreign criminal jurisdiction
• Protection of Environment in relation to armed conflict
• Peremptory norms of general international law (jus cogens)
• Succession of State in respect to state responsibility.
• General Principals of Law.
• Sea level rise in relation to international law
• Crimes Against Humanity.
•  Piracy and Armed Robbery.

Mode of competition –  Physical.

Competition Date – 4 th February.

Submissions procedure and guidelines –

• Word limit – 3500 words.
• Footnotes must be as per the late OSCOLA edition.
• Entries to be sent to [email protected] , with there name, address, contact details.

3. GLOBAL ESSAY COMPETITION FOR ST.GALLEN SYMPOSIUM.

Last date of registration –  1 February, 2022. 11:59 PM.

Results in – mid March via e-mail.

Prize –  Jury will decide three awards based on the quality of the content.

             16,28, 894 will be divided among the three awardees.

Eligibility –

• Any field college student can apply who is born in or after 1992 .

You need to provide the following documents-

• Copy of passport or other identification (in English for non Roman languages)
• Confirmation of matriculation/enrolment from your university which proves your enrolment in a graduate/postgraduate level programme as of February 1, 2022 (download sample document here).
• Your contribution file with no indication of your name in the file name, the file metadata or the file itself.

Theme – Collaborative Advantage: What should be written into a new intergenerational contract?

• Word limit – 2,100 ( excluding abstracts, bibliography and footnotes).
• Language – Only English.
• Your identification details such as name, e-mail, contact must not be there in the contribution file.
• The idea should be of your own and related to theme and for the contest.
• All the contribution must be citied and the file will go through a plagiarism check.
• Must be doc, docx or PDF format.
•  The best competitors will be given a chance to present there content on a big stage through a video and they will be informed before.

For further details click on the link below-

4. NATIONAL ESSAY WRITING COMPETITION BY ANAND LAW COLLEGE

Last date of registration – February 15 th , 2022.

Registration fees – 100/-.

Bank Name : Bank of Baroda

Account Holder Name : Anand Law College

Account No. : 02940100001292

IFSC Code: BARBOANANDX [Fifth Character is Zero]

(Please mention the subject as “Essay Writing” while making the payment)

Prize – 1st Prize: Trophy & Certificate of Merit

2nd Prize : Trophy & Certificate of Merit

3rd Prize : Trophy & Certificate of Merit

 An E- Certificate of participation will be issued to all the participants

Eligibility – For all law students.

• Juveniles should be treated and tried as adults.

 • Violent video games should be banned.

• Animal testing should be prohibited.

Submission procedure and guidelines-

• Plagiarism up to 20%  is acceptable.
• Original work of the participants.
• The essay must deal with the current issues in this field and analytical in nature.
• Word limit – 1000-1200 words.
• Language – only English.
• File format – docx .
• Font – Times New Roman.
• Font size – 12
• Line spacing – 1.5.
• File name – title of the essay.
• Submit via e-mail- [email protected] , Subject – Essay writing Submission.
• These details are to be submitted in separately in word –
• Topic Chosen
• Title of the Essay
• Name of the Author
• College/Institute/University of Author
• Programme Enrolled & Year of Study of Author
• E-mail address & Contact No. of Author.
• The payment receipt and registration form  should be attached with it.
• ALLIANCE CENTRE FOR ALTERNATE DISPUTE RESOLUTION (ACADR) ESSAY WRITING COMPETITION.

Last date of registration – 15 April, 2022.

Results on – 15 th March, 2022.

Last Submission Date – 30 th April, 2022.

Registration fees – No fees.

Registration link https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=ZXera4fDDU2b539WeSUVlCTQLhc0HyZOhlPi7fx6vJpUMlUzOVY3QkdSTlUzSllZT1pYNlNJTzJFVS4u

Prize – Five best essays will be published ACDR Newsletter.

Top ten best submissions shall also be awarded merit certificates by ACADR, Alliance School of Law, Alliance University, Bangalore.

Eligibility – All law students.

Theme – Impact of Judicial Intervention in the Field of ADR is a Boon or a Bane.

• Co-authorship of entries (maximum two) among individuals.
• Essay should be original, unpublished, and non-plagiarized.
• Word limit : 1000-1200 words.
• Citation style: Uniform style of citation should be followed throughout the essay.
• File  name – Name of the Author(s) .
• File format – Microsoft Word format.
•  submissions via email to [email protected]

YLCC would like to thank Aarushi Tiwari for her valuable contribution in this article.

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Announcing the Eighth Annual Student Essay Competition

The  Yale Law Journal  is excited to announce its eighth annual Student Essay Competition. The  Journal ’s Student Essay Competition challenges the next generation of legal scholars and practitioners to reflect on emerging legal problems. The Competition is open to current law students and recent law-school graduates nationwide. Up to three winners will be awarded a $300 cash prize. Winning submissions will be published in the  Yale Law Journal Forum , the  Journal ’s online component. All  Forum  Essays are fully searchable and available on LexisNexis, Westlaw, and our website. Last year’s winning Essays can be viewed on our website.

Competition Topic: Emerging Issues in Criminal Law

This year, we invite submissions focusing on novel developments in criminal law and procedure, broadly understood. We encourage submissions on a range of topics, including corrections and prisons; policing; prosecution; private and public defense; racial disparities in the criminal legal system; the criminalization of queer and trans individuals; crimmigration; abolitionism; mass incarceration; capital punishment; youth justice; felony disenfranchisement; drug policy; evidence; and any related areas. We hope to receive both clinical and academic submissions.

Eligibility and Submission Details

The competition is open to all current law students and recent law-school graduates (JDs and LLMs from the Classes of 2022-2027) from any ABA-accredited law school. Each individual may submit only one piece. Submissions must be previously unpublished Essays and may not be submitted to other publications during the competition period. 

The deadline for submissions is September 6, 2024 at 5pm ET. Submissions must be no shorter than 4,000 words and no longer than 8,000 words, including footnotes.

Essays must be submitted via the Journal ’s online submissions portal. When asked to select “Submission Type,” please select “Student Essay Competition” (do not select “Forum Essay (Students)”).

Please submit your Essay as a Word document. Your submission file should be titled “YLJ Essay Competition - [ESSAY TITLE]” and include a header with “YLJ Essay Competition” in the main text of your document. To ensure anonymized review, please do not include any identifying information, including name, class year, or institution, in your Essay’s body or metadata. Failure to anonymize your Essay may disqualify it from consideration by the Selection Committee.

The Selection Committee will consider all submissions anonymously. Winners will be announced in October 2024. Authors who submit winning Essays commit to publication in the  Yale Law Journal Forum  and agree to participate in our full editing process. This process involves both structural and substantive suggestions, as well as sourceciting for content and adherence to Bluebook style.

Disbursement of the cash prize to each winner is subject to any applicable tax reporting and withholding requirements.

Please direct questions about the Student Essay Competition to the Managing Editors, Beatrice (Bea) Brown ( [email protected] ) and Deja Morehead ( [email protected] ). We look forward to reading your submissions!

Volume 133’s Emerging Scholar of the Year: Robyn Powell

Announcing the ylj academic summer grants program.

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The Closer - 2022

Top prizes in  the closer , baylor law’s elite national transactional law competition, won by bess fisher, university of mississippi school of law, and zachery hunter, the ohio state university moritz college of law.

Bess Fisher of the University of Mississippi School of Law and Zachery Hunter of The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law are this year’s winners of  The Closer , the nation’s most challenging transactional law competition. Runners up in this year’s challenging competition were James Keegan of the University of San Diego School of Law and Megan Sugrue of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.

Baylor Law’s  The Closer  is an invitation-only transactional law competition open only to law schools whose programming demonstrates a commitment to excellence in practical transactional law training.

The Closer  is distinct in numerous respects. Unlike other competitions, the teams do not have weeks to prepare, and each team has one member – no teammates to share the workload. The competitors have only 24 hours to digest their clients’ files, which contain realistic emails, phone notes, drafts, and research. The tight timeline forces competitors to identify the most critical legal issues and devise and negotiate solutions that best serve their client’s needs with the efficiency required of lawyers under realistic time constraints.

The annual competition is another example of Baylor Law’s commitment to providing practical legal education opportunities. Baylor does not field a team, but its students participate in organizing and hosting. All involved students experience a high-pressure environment and hands-on exposure to important aspects of transactional law: contract drafting and negotiation.

In this year’s competition, participants negotiated a fictional NIL agreement between an actual business and student-athlete—  Nightlight Donuts, Inc . and Baylor baseball player  Will Rigney — each with a fascinating true backstory. Nightlight was founded a few years ago by Jackson Wren as a local Waco food truck and quickly gained a large following in the Baylor and Waco community. With visions of expanding statewide, Nightlight opened its first brick-and-mortar location about a year ago in Waco. Nightlight’s inviting coffee-shop ambiance and signature products—croissant donuts and various croissant-style kolaches— are an irresistible treat to be enjoyed any time of day or night. Nightlight’s loyal fans include Will Rigney, a pitcher  drafted  by the San Francisco Giants out of high school but chose to postpone his MLB prospects to play for Baylor Baseball.

In the fictionalized scenario, Wren sees an opportunity to expand Nightlight’s marketing efforts based on Rigney’s growing social media presence. Given recent sea changes to NCAA regulations and state laws allowing student-athletes to receive compensation for the use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL), the competitors were called upon to analyze novel legal issues and devise cutting-edge strategies as they negotiated an endorsement agreement in the context of the new NIL frontier.

Signature features of  The Closer  include an entertaining  video  to introduce the competitors and judges to the scenario and a site visit to a location central to each year’s deal. With the necessity to hold the competition virtually the last two years, Baylor devised the next best thing to the site visit. This year’s behind-the-scenes look at the donut-making process at Nightlight Donuts, Inc. was incorporated into the introductory  video . As a substitute for an in-person sampling of Nightlight’s delectable croissant donuts, an assortment was shipped to competitors by overnight delivery for arrival as they began poring through the file on Friday morning.

Just 24 hours after the deal was revealed to the competitors, the first of four preliminary rounds of negotiation began. Through a series of 40-minute negotiations in front of experienced transactional lawyers, competitors were judged on their presence and professionalism, knowledge of legal and financial issues, and efficacy in finding creative solutions to reach an agreement that satisfied their client’s objectives under strict time constraints. The top two competitors on each side advanced to the final round. The best lawyer on each side wins a $5,000 cash prize and bragging rights as “The Closer.”

The Closer  is more than an intense competition. It is also a unique learning opportunity for competitors. In 2022, more than three dozen experienced transactional lawyers served as judges. During the first day of negotiation rounds, every student competitor received detailed individual feedback and critique from at least 12 of these lawyers. On Sunday, the four finalists received feedback from an additional panel of distinguished transactional lawyers. The number of negotiation rounds and the amount of feedback received in  The Closer  far surpasses any other transactional law competition.

Bill Young, Bess Fisher’s coach, noted at the end of the competition, “I always felt like law schools didn’t do enough to prepare their students to be lawyers [… ] I think  The Closer  is a great contribution to advancing the careers of these young folks.”

“ The Closer  is so much more than a competition. It’s one of the few opportunities available to law students interested in pursuing a transactional law practice to get a taste of what that type of practice is like and to hone their skills in that context,” stated Professor of Law Beth Miller, who started  The Closer  competition six years ago. “We are so proud of this year’s competitors, and it is an honor to highlight other schools who share our philosophy and commitment to real-world, practical transactional law training,” Miller added.

An Introduction to the Case

The Deal Is Hypothetical - The Participants Are Real

In this year’s competition, participants negotiated a fictional NIL agreement between an actual business and student-athlete—Nightlight Donuts, Inc. and Baylor baseball player Will Rigney—each with a fascinating true backstory. Nightlight was founded a few years ago by Jackson Wren as a local Waco food truck and quickly gained a large following in the Baylor and Waco community. With visions of expanding statewide, Nightlight opened its first brick-and-mortar location about a year ago in Waco. Nightlight’s inviting coffee-shop ambiance and signature products—croissant donuts and various croissant-style kolaches—are an irresistible treat to be enjoyed any time of day or night. Nightlight’s loyal fans include Will Rigney, a pitcher drafted by the San Francisco Giants out of high school but chose to postpone his MLB prospects to play for Baylor Baseball.

Students were randomly assigned to represent either Nightlight Donuts, Inc. or Will Rigney during the competition.

Closing the Deal – Under Pressure

Zach Hunter was awarded one of the $5,000 prizes for best representing the interests of Nightlight Donuts, Inc., and Bess Fisher was awarded the other $5,000 prize for best representing Will Rigney.

“ The Closer  exceeded all my expectations. Not only was it an extremely fun competition, but it was also a fantastic learning experience—one that is unmatched compared to anything in law school or even summer experiences,” noted Zach Hunter. “Whether it was the chance to compete with top law students, getting feedback from the judges in between rounds, or having the opportunity to work so closely with my Coach, I felt challenged to become the best advocate for my client. “

“I am so honored and excited to have been named a winner of  The Closer  this year! Special thank you to Baylor for hosting such a well-organized and thought-out competition and to Ole Miss Law for letting me represent them,” stated Bess Fisher after hearing that she was selected as one of the winners of this year’s competition. “Another thank you to my coach and Ole Miss Law alum, Billy Young, for dedicating so much time to helping me prepare and teaching me so much along the way. To me, winning this competition is a fantastic reminder that we all can accomplish so much more than we think we’re capable of and that preparation and confidence go a long way, both in competition and the real world,” she added.

At the close of the event, one of the competition judges, Jennifer Lindsey, a partner at Beard Kultgen Brophy Bostwick & Dickson, PLLC, noted, “I’ve been involved in  The Closer  since its inception, and I never cease to be amazed at how these students can take very complex topics and concepts, digest them, and efficiently negotiate with each other in what is a really short time frame and intense period.” She added, “Kudos to all of you on your accomplishments here.”

Stephen Ferruolo, former Dean of the University of San Diego School of Law and current partner at Perkins Coie LLP has coached law students in this competition for the last five years. He had this to say about  The Closer , “This is a really valuable contribution to our profession. It is an incredible competition, and the [Baylor Law] team outperforms itself every year.”

Greg Looser, who has judged the final round each year, joined others to thank Professor Miller and her Baylor Law team for the countless hours spent organizing and hosting the competition. He added, “It is very important for the transactional practice across the country to have competitions like this, and we are very proud of what we have and what the Baylor Law School has done.”

The Final Round

BAYLOR LAW SCHOOL SINCERELY APPRECIATES THOSE WHO INVESTED IN  THE CLOSER  2022:

• Kim and  Bill Shaddock
• Munsch Hardt
• J. Michael Tibbals / Freeman Mills PC

Special thanks

• Nightlight Donuts, Inc
• Will Rigney
• Baylor Baseball Coach Steve Rodriguez
• Baylor Athletics
• Baylor Law faculty, staff, and students who contributed their time and talents to make  The Closer  2022 a success

2022 PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS AND COMPETITORS

• Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School -  Rebekah Bingham
• Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law -  Justin Tennenbaum
• Emory University School of Law -  Nathan Vanderhorst
• Indiana University Maurer School of Law -  Lucas Lin
• The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law -  Zach Hunter
• SMU Dedman School of Law -  Floy Gaidarski
• The University of Denver Sturm College of Law -  Megan Sugrue
• University of Kansas School of Law -  Olivia Black
• University of Mississippi School of Law -  Bess Fisher
• UMKC School of Law -  Alexandria Darden
• University of Oregon School of Law -  Kaitlyn Lindaman
• University of San Diego School of Law -  James Keegan
• University of Tennessee College of Law -  Ben Kelly
• University of Wisconsin Law School -  Connor Muth

JUDGES SCORING THE FINAL ROUNDS WERE:

• Glenn Callison , Shareholder,  Munsch Hardt
• Erreka Campbell , Senior Counsel, Products Legal at Apple
• Jennifer Lindsey , Partner, Beard Kultgen Brophy Bostwick & Dickson, PLLC
• W. Gregory Looser , Co-Founder & Partner, Clarion Ventures, LLC

JUDGES SCORING THE PRELIMINARY ROUNDS WERE:

• Patrick Bell , Potter Minton
• Brittany Blakey , Gray Reed
• Dean Bringe , Comerica Bank
• Royce Carrigan , Royce Carrigan Law, PLLC
• Miranda Chavez , Boulware & Valoir
• Ben Davis , CapStream Group LLC
• Katie Dunne , Foley & Lardner LLP
• Jenny Forgey , Winstead PC
• Philip Haines , Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
• Tom Harris , Haynes and Boone LLP
• JP Haskins , Greenberg Traurig, LLP
• Melinda Hedrick , Beard Kultgen Brophy Bostwick & Dickson, PLLC
• Trent Hood , Winstead PC
• Hunter Hullett , Holland & Knight LLP
• Lee Keeling , Walker Keeling LLP
• Kayla Landeros , Baylor Law
• Macy Matthews , Spencer Fane LLP
• Samantha Mori , Texas Capital Bank
• Lindy Nesbitt , Erie County Medical Center Corporation
• Connie Nichols , Baylor Law
• Christian Otteson , Otteson Shapiro LLP
• Allen Page , Baylor Law
• Andy Pattillo , Beard Kultgen Brophy Bostwick & Dickson, PLLC
• John Raveney , Naman Howell, Smith & Lee, PLLC
• Steve Reid , The Reid Firm, PC
• Ana Maria Sanchez , Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
• Michael Sanchez , McCathern, Shokouhi, Evans, Grinke
• Jessica Schwartz , Jackson Walker LLP
• Juli Simoneaux , Ferrovial Construction Texas, LLC
• Laura Ann Smith , Argyle
• Pat Souter , Gray Reed
• Ian Todd , Sneed, Vine & Perry, PC
• Dathan Voelter , Atlas Sand Company
• Jonathan Wielenga , Gibraltar Capital Management
• Wayne Whitaker , Whitaker Chalk Swindle & Schwartz, PLLC
• Rebecca Williams , Lone Star Global Acquisitions, LLC

For more information about the competition, visit  The Closer  on Baylor Law School’s website or contact the coordinator,  Professor Elizabeth Miller .

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Sixth circuit announces winners of 2024 student essay contest.

The Sixth Circuit Student Essay Contest was open to high school students (grades 9–12) enrolled in public, private, parochial, and charter schools and home-schooled students of equivalent grade status in the four states that comprise the Sixth Circuit (Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee).

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