Sure, grades are a good enough reason to put in the hours of research and writing on a seminar class paper. But what if all that hard work could earn you even more than a top grade? You might consider reworking past or current research projects for a law student writing competition. Many organizations sponsor writing contests for current law students, and most offer cash prizes as well as potential publication opportunities.
How can you identify potential writing competitions for your project? The T.C. Williams Legal Essay Contest Catalog, maintained by the University of Richmond Law School, is the most comprehensive listing of law student writing competitions. The website features several useful searching and sorting options, including the ability to sort by subject matter, deadline, and even prize amount.
The American Bar Association also maintains a list of Writing Competitions, which includes some contests not currently featured on the Richmond list. (This is likely because many of the listed contests are not currently open for submissions, but the ABA list could be helpful in planning ahead for future deadlines.)
Be sure to closely review each individual competition's rules before submission, as they may vary on matters like word count, font size, and required documentation.
For help with fine-tuning your work for potential publication, some useful resources in the library include:
How can you identify potential writing competitions for your project? The T.C. Williams Legal Essay Contest Catalog, maintained by the University of Richmond Law School, is the most comprehensive listing of law student writing competitions. The website features several useful searching and sorting options, including the ability to sort by subject matter, deadline, and even prize amount.
The American Bar Association also maintains a list of Writing Competitions, which includes some contests not currently featured on the Richmond list. (This is likely because many of the listed contests are not currently open for submissions, but the ABA list could be helpful in planning ahead for future deadlines.)
Be sure to closely review each individual competition's rules before submission, as they may vary on matters like word count, font size, and required documentation.
For help with fine-tuning your work for potential publication, some useful resources in the library include:
- Eugene Volokh, Academic Legal Writing: Law Review Articles, Student Notes, Seminar Papers, and Getting on Law Review, 5th ed. (Course Reserves KF250 .V65 2016)
- Elizabeth Fajans & Mary R. Falk, Scholarly Writing for Law Students: Seminar Papers, Law Review Notes, and Law Review Competition Papers, 5th ed. (Reserves KF250 .F35 2017)
- Jessica Lynn Wherry, Scholarly Writing: Ideas, Examples, and Execution (Reserves KF250 .C528 2019)