2013-2014 Mendes Hershman Student Writing Contest

CONTEST GUIDELINES

Entrant Criteria:

Author of the paper must be a student enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school’s J.D. program at the time of submission (submissions for the 2013-2014 Mendes Hershman Student Writing Contest will be accepted starting on August 1, 2013).

A student need not be a member of the Business Law Section to enter the contest.

Submission Criteria:

·         Papers must be written in 2012-2013 or the current academic year.

·         The paper may be specifically prepared for this contest; submitted in a class, seminar, or as an independent study; or a proposed law review/journal note, comment or article.

·         Papers submitted are normally 20-30 pages long, but in any event should not exceed 100 pages of double-spaced typed text, including footnotes.

·         Papers that have been submitted to or published by a student publication are acceptable for submission to the contest. The submission entry form must indicate to which publications the work has been submitted and if it has been published.

Judging:

The papers will be judged on research and analysis, choice of topic, writing style, originality, and contribution to the literature available on the topic. Depending on the topic, prior publication, and other factors, a previously unpublished first place winning essay may be considered for publication in a Section publication.

Prizes:

The prizes for the writing contest are:

1.    First Place: $2,500 to the first place winner to be presented at the Business Law Section Spring.

2.    Second Place: $1,000 to the second place winner to be presented at the Business Law Section Spring Meeting.

3.    Third Place: $500 to the third place winner to be presented at the Section of Business Law Section Spring Meeting.

Each winner will receive an all-expense paid trip by the Section to attend the ABA Business Law Section Spring Meeting to collect his/her prize.

Outstanding papers may also be included in The Business Lawyer, a quarterly publication which is the premier business law journal in the country.

See the essay “The Supreme Court Should Hold that Secured Creditors Have an Absolute Right to Credit Bid” written by Hannah Y. Lee, our 2011-2012 first place writing contest winner, in the Vol. 68 No 2 issue of The Business Lawyer.

To Apply:

The Business Law Section will begin accepting submissions for the 2013-2014 Mendes Hershman Student Writing Contest on August 1, 2013. Please download the 2014 submission entry form available online:

http://www.americanbar.org/groups/business_law/initiatives_awards/mendes_hershman.html

All essays, along with a 2014 submission entry form signed by a dean or faculty member, must be sent to Lauren Shores by Friday, January 10, 2014.

Please contact Lauren Shores with any question by email (lauren.shores@americanbar.org) or at 312-988-6398.

Selection:

All submissions will be reviewed by a selection committee after the January 10 deadline.

All applicants will be notified of their application’s status by mid-March 2014.