ABA Law Student Division
Awards, Competitions, Grants and Scholarships
Awards and Grants
Did you know the ABA presents over 100 awards and distributes over $100,000 in awards and grants each year? Over 20 of these awards and grants have been specifically designed for law schools or law students, including writing competitions and fellowships. Dont miss the opportunity to gain recognition for your accomplishments, that of your law school or student organization.
Law Student Division Competitions
Arbitration Competition
Co-sponsored by the National Arbitration Forum, this competition promotes excellence in arbitration advocacy
Award: Cash prize
Client Counseling Competition
A competition promoting preventive law and counseling functions.
Award: Cash prize
Negotiation Competition
The competition simulates legal negotiations in which law students, acting as lawyers, negotiate a series of legal problems.
Award: Cash prize
National Appellate Advocacy Competition
A traditional moot court competition focusing on written and oral advocacy skills.
Award: Cash prize
Other Competitions
Environment, Energy, and Resources and the Environmental Law Institute
Pace
Law School's National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition
Tax Section
Law Student Tax Challenge
Award: Cash prizes, complimentary travel and lodging to Tax Section Midyear Meeting location, notice of award on Section's website and in its NewsQuarterly newsletter and e-News.
Section of Dispute Resolution
Representation in Mediation Competition
Awards
Be sure to see the ABA Law Student Division's complete list of awards that are awarded to students and schools during the ABA Annual Meeting.
Center for Professional Responsibility
E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Award
Recognizes projects contributing to the understanding of professionalism among lawyers. Law schools, bar associations, law firms and other law-related organizations are elgible.
Entry deadline: March
Award: $3,500 to a law school or law organization
Scholarships
American Bar Association
Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund
Award: $5,000 financial assistance annually per student
Application deadline: March
Eligibility: Must be entering first year of law school in the fall of
2008
Business Law, Section of
Council on Legal Education Opportunities (CLEO) Scholarship
Awards: Five $1,000 scholarships and subsidized travel and attendance to the Section’s Spring Meeting awarded to CLEO Fellow Scholars selected based on an essay competition.
Application Deadline: January
Communications Law Forum Committee
Scholarship to attend the Forum Committee's Annual Conference
Award: Funding to attend Forum Annual Conference and opportunity
to write report for publication in their publication, Communication
Lawyer (more information)
Other Opportunities
National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees
Law Student Writing Competition
Entry deadline: April
National Association of Women Lawyers
3rd Annual Selma Moidel Smith Law Student Writing Competition
Award: $500 and publication in the NAWL Women Lawyers Journal (Summer 2008)
Entry deadline: April
National Lesbian & Gay Law Association
Michael Greenberg Student Writing Competition
Awards: $3,000, $2,000, and $1,000, registration, airfare and lodging to attend Lavender Law 2008 in San Francisco, and publication in the Journal of Law and Sexuality at Tulane University Law School for the first-place winner.
Entry deadline: June
For questions or additional information visit http://www.nlgla.org/
Financial Aid
Council on Legal Education Opportunities
A Thurgood Marshall Legal Education Opportunity Program
Information on financial aid programs for students intending to enter law school and those presently
enrolled and have substantial financial need can be obtained by contacting the Council on Legal Education Opportunities (CLEO).
For additional information, the ABA Commission on Ethnic and Racial Diversity also has a listing of links and organizations offering scholarships, grants, fellowships and other financial assistance to women and minority law students.
Finding What You're Looking For
Essay/Writing Competitions:
-- ABA
-- Other Opportunities
Trial Advocacy Competitions
Awards
Scholarships
Financial Aid
ABA Essay and Writing Competitions
ABA Journal -- Ross Essay Contest
Award: $5,000
Entry deadline: March
Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice
Gellhorn-Sargentich Law Student Essay Contest
Award: $500 cash prize and round-trip airfare and accommodation to attend the Section’s Fall Conference; possible publication in Administrative and Regulatory Law News.
Entry deadline: March
Affordable Housing and Community Development Forum Committee
Forum on Affordable
Housing and Community Development Law Writing Competition
Winner will receive airfare and lodging to attend the Forum Committee's
Annual Conference where prize will
be presented
Award: $1,000 plus possible publication in the Journal of Affordable
Housing and Community Development Law
Postmark deadline: March
Air and Space Law Forum Committee
Law Student Writing Competition
Award: $5,000 and published in The Air and Space Lawyer.
Entry deadline: June
Co-sponsored by Rolls-Royce North America, Inc.
Antitrust Law Section
Writing Competition
Award: First Place: $2,000, registration fee, transportation, lodging and luncheon at Antitrust Spring Meeting in Washington, DC. Second Place Award: $500
Article submission deadline: January
Business Law, Section of
Mendes Hershman Student Writing Contest
Award: First place receives $2,500, travel and lodging to attend the Section’s Spring Meeting, possible publication in The Business Lawyer.
Entry deadline: January
Criminal Justice Section
7th Annual William W. Greenhalgh
Student Writing Competition
Award: $2,000, publication of winning essay in Criminal Justice magazine, and expense-paid trip to ABA Annual Meeting
Entry deadline: April
Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law
Adam A. Milani Disability Law Writing Competition
Award: $300 to $500 and a possible invitation to be published in the ABA Mental and Physical Disability Law Reporter.
Entry deadline: June
Commission on Domestic Violence
Annual Law
Student Writing Competition
Award: 1st place receives $750, 2nd place, $500 and 3rd place, $250
Entry deadline: March
Entertainment and Sports Industry Forum Committee and the Recording
Academy Entertainment Law Initiative (ELI)
Annual GRAMMY® Foundation
Entertainment Law Initiative (ELI) Writing Contest
Award: $5,000, plus all expenses to Grammy Awards
For additional information, please send an email to eli@grammy.com
Environmental,
Energy and Resources Law
Student Writing Competition
Postmarked Deadline: February
Family
Law Section
Howard C. Schwab Memorial Essay Contest
Award: Possible publication in Family Law Quarterly
Postmarked entry deadline: May
Health
Law
Health
Law Writing Competition
Award: $500 plus travel and lodging to the Section's Emerging Issues Program
Deadline for entry: December
Tell me more about the Health
Law Writing Competition
Intellectual Property
ABA-BNA Award for Excellence in the Study of Intellectual Property Law
Deadline for entry: Ongoing--winners chosen by participating schools
Tell me more about the ABA-BNA Award for Excellence in the Study of Intellectual Property Law
Labor and Employment Law
Labor Lawyer
Student Writing Contest
Award: $500
Postmarked entry deadline: August
Law and National Security
The ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security is pleased to announce its first student writing competition, "New Perspectives for a New Threat."
Theme:
Analysis of a timely issue at the intersection of law and national security
Submissions deadline: September
More Information: www.abanet.org/natsecurity/
Lawyers' Professional Liability Standing Committee
Levit
Essay Contest on Lawyers' Professional Liability
Award: $5,000 plus an expense-paid trip to the Spring
National Legal Malpractice Conference
Postmark entry deadline: February
Entrants must be a member of the ABA Law Student Division or Young Lawyers
Division no later than February 15 to be eligible.
Public Contract Law
Writing Competition
Award: 1st place receives $5,000, publication in the Public Contract Law Journal, and possible presentation of paper at the Federal Procurement Institute. 2nd Place, $2,500 and 3rd place, $1,000.
Entry Deadline: September
Public Utility, Communications and Transportation
Law Student
Writing Competition
Award: $2,500, travel and lodging to Section's Fall Council Group Meeting,
notice of winning in Infrastructure newsletter.
Entry Deadline: June
Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section
RPTE Section Student Writing Contest
Award: First place winner will receive $2,000 cash, one-year free Section membership, expense-paid trip to attend the Section's Fall Council Meeting.
Postmark entry deadline: June
For more information, contact the Section at rpte@staff.abanet.org.
Science & Technology Law
Law Student Writing Contest
Award: The winner will receive a trip to the ABA Annual Meeting and may have his or her submission published in The SciTech Lawyer.
Deadline:
March and the winner will be notified in June.
Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS)
2008 Law Student Writing
Competition
First Place Award: $1,500, airfare and lodging to ABA Annual Meeting,
possible publication in Tort Trial & Insurance Law Journal. Second Place Award: $500.
All winners will be announced in the Section's magazine, The Brief.
Entry deadline: March
Women in the Profession (Commission on)
20th Anniversary Video/Essay Competition
First Place Award: $500 honorarium
Entry Deadline: December
