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Law School Scholarship Databank – Writing Competitions

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A scholarship can make all the difference.

Search over 800 carefully curated and vetted scholarship opportunities and writing competitions — totaling more than $3 million in aid.

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20 results

National Essay Contest

This national academic event is intended to foster debate, analysis, and examination of state alcohol regulation in the 21st Century.

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Sponsoring Organization:

Center for Alcohol Policy

Award Maximum:
$5,000
Application Deadline:
February 1
Eligibility Requirements:

All persons over the age of 18 as of December 2023

Students, academics, practicing attorneys, policymakers, regulators, public health representatives, and any person with an interest in alcohol law and policy are encouraged to submit essays.

May not be offered this year - verify status with the scholarship provider

The Roy Snell Health Care Regulatory & Compliance Writing Competition

The Roy Snell Health Care Regulatory & Compliance Writing Competition recognizes law students for innovative, strategic, and sound approaches to tackling complex contemporary health care regulatory and compliance issues.

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Sponsoring Organization:

Health Law Institute at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and the Health Care Compliance Association

Award Maximum:
$5,000
Application Deadline:
February 2
Eligibility Requirements:

Current J.D. Students who have completed 1L year

Full or part-time

Registration will occur approximately a month and a half prior to the deadline; review details on provider's website carefully.

Robert Pitofsky Law Student Writing Competition

The goal of the Competition is to encourage and reward law student writings on antitrust law and competition law subjects of general and current interest.

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Sponsoring Organization:

American Bar Association (ABA) Antitrust Section

Award Maximum:
$5,000
Application Deadline:
February 3
Eligibility Requirements:

Current law school student in good standing

Over the age of 21

Attending an ABA accredited law school within the United States and its possessions

U.S. Citizen or Legal Permanent Resident

Ed Mendrzycki Essay Contest

This essay contest is to encourage scholarship and innovative research and writing in the area of legal malpractice law, professional liability insurance, and loss prevention.

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Sponsoring Organization:

American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Lawyers' Professional Liability and Long & Levit LLP

Award Maximum:
$5,000
Application Deadline:
February 3
Eligibility Requirements:

ABA Law Student Division member in good standing

ABA Young Lawyers Division member in good standing

Richard D. Cudahy Writing Competition on Regulatory and Administrative Law

This writing competition seeks to encourage and reward the qualities demonstrated by Judge Richard D. Cudahy in the fields of regulatory and administrative law, and an appreciation of the public impact of doctrinal and institutional choices, including the consequences for fundamental values such as fairness, participation, and transparency in the scholarship of others.

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Sponsoring Organization:

American Constitution Society (ACS)

Award Maximum:
$1,500
Application Deadline:
February 3
Eligibility Requirements:

Lawyers

Current Law Students

Enrolled in a J.D. or LL.M. program at a U.S. law school

Constance Baker Motley National Student Writing Competition

The American Constitution Society welcomes all papers furthering and promoting a progressive vision of the Constitution, law, and public policy. Entrants are encouraged to view this topic broadly, and we welcome submissions on a variety of substantive areas.

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Sponsoring Organization:

American Constitution Society (ACS) and the University of Pennsylvania Law School ACS Chapter

Award Maximum:
$3,000
Application Deadline:
February 5
Eligibility Requirements:

Current law student

Dues paying member of ACS

May not be offered this year - verify status with the provider

Consumer Protection Committee Law Student Essay Contest

This project provides an opportunity to expand the role of the ABA in the area of Consumer Protection among law students, professors and practitioners by inviting students to participate in a discussion on hot topics in consumer protection.

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Sponsoring Organization:

American Bar Association (ABA) Antitrust Section Consumer Protection Committee

Award Maximum:
$5,000
Application Deadline:
February 7
Eligibility Requirements:

2nd and 3rd year law students

Enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school

At least 21 years of age

Legal resident of the U.S.

Baxter Family Competition on Federalism

The overarching goal of this prestigious bi-annual competition, which is run by the Peter MacKell Chair in Federalism, is to advance research and foster informed debate on federalism.

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Sponsoring Organization:

McGill University Faculty of Law

Award Maximum:
$3,910
Application Deadline:
February 7
Eligibility Requirements:

Current undergraduate or graduate

Enrolled in program in law or political science

Graduates from these programs after 2/7/2020

Anywhere in the world

Louis Jackson Memorial National Student Writing Competition in Employment and Labor Law

Judges will consider papers on any topic relating to the law governing the workplace, such as employment law, labor law, employee benefits, or employment discrimination.

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Sponsoring Organization:

IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law's Institute for Law and the Workplace (ILW) and Jackson Lewis LLP

Award Maximum:
$3,000
Application Deadline:
February 7
Eligibility Requirements:

Current law student

Enrolled in an accredited law school

Must have completed or be currently taking course work in employment or labor law

Harvard Law School Trans Rights Writing Competition

HLS Lambda, Harvard Civil Rights–Civil Liberties Law Review, and the Harvard Journal of Law & Gender are seeking submissions that broadly address trans rights issues. 

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Sponsoring Organization:

Harvard Law School Lambda, Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, and the Harvard Journal of Law and Gender

Award Maximum:
$1,000
Application Deadline:
February 11
Eligibility Requirements:

Currently matriculated law students from any law school.

May not be offered this year - verify status with the scholarship provider

David S. Rosenbaum Writing Competition

A scholarship to encourage and reward students interested in the field of interactive entertainment law.

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Sponsoring Organization:

Video Game Bar Association (VGBA)

Award Maximum:
$2,500
Application Deadline:
February 25
Eligibility Requirements:

None currently listed at time of publication. Visit provider's website for possible updates.

May not be offered this year - verify status with the scholarship provider

American Indian Law Review Writing Competition

Papers will be accepted on any legal issue specifically concerning American Indians or other indigenous peoples.

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Sponsoring Organization:

American Indian Law Review (AILR)

Award Maximum:
$1,500
Application Deadline:
February 28
Eligibility Requirements:

Current J.D. or graduate law students

Accredited law schools in the U.S. and Canada

Phil Cowan - Judith Bresler Memorial Scholarship

The Phil Cowan - Judith Bresler Memorial Scholarship is named after two esteemed former EASL Chairs to recognize student who are committed to a practice concentrating in one or more areas of entertainment, art or sports law.

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Sponsoring Organization:

New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section

Award Maximum:
$2,500
Application Deadline:
April 1
Eligibility Requirements:

Current J.D. and LL.M. candidates

Attend accredited law school within New York State, Rutgers University Law School and Seton Hall Law School in New Jersey, and up to ten other accredited law schools throughout the country to be selected, at the committee's discretion, on a rotating basis.

All students submitting a paper for consideration, who are NYSBA members, will immediately and automatically be offered a free membership in EASL (with all the benefits of an EASL member) for a one-year period, commencing the day of the EASL Spring Meeting of the year of the paper submission

Berkeley Technology Law Journal Writing Competition

We will accept submissions from graduate-level law students on a wide variety of topics at the intersection of law and technology, including but not limited to: technology and the public interest, privacy, internet law, intellectual property, antitrust, First Amendment issues, entertainment and news media, telecommunications, biotechnology, and cybercrime.

More
Sponsoring Organization:

Berkeley Technology Law Journal University of California, Berkeley School of Law

Award Maximum:
$1,000
Application Deadline:
April 2
Eligibility Requirements:

Current J.D., LL.M. and J.S.D. students

Law students outside the U.S.

May not be available-check with scholarship provider

Howard C. Schwab Memorial Essay Contest

The purpose of the contest is to create greater interest in the field of family law among all law students, and particularly the Law Student Division of the American Bar Association.

More
Sponsoring Organization:

American Bar Association (ABA) Family Law Section

Award Maximum:
$1,500
Application Deadline:
April 5
Eligibility Requirements:

J.D. students

ABA-approved law school

Second or third year full-time students or second through fourth-year part-time students

First-year students enrolled in schools where family law is part of the first-year curriculum

U.S. Citizen or Legal Permanent Resident

The Program on Church, State & Society Writing Competition

The purpose of this writing competition is to encourage scholarship related to the intersection of church, state & society, and in particular how the law structures and governs that intersection.

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Sponsoring Organization:

The Program on Church, State & Society at Notre Dame Law School

Award Maximum:
$3,000
Application Deadline:
April 12
Eligibility Requirements:

Current law students

J.D., LL.B., LL.M., SJ.D., J.S.D., Ph.D.

Attend an ABA-accredited law school within the U.S.

In good standing

May not be offered this year - verify status with the scholarship provider 

Smith-Doheny Legal Ethics Writing Competition

Notre Dame Law School sponsors an annual writing competition on the topic of legal ethics.

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Sponsoring Organization:

Notre Dame Law School

Award Maximum:
$2,500
Application Deadline:
April 15
Eligibility Requirements:

Current law students

Attend U.S. and Canadian law schools

Hogan/Smoger Access to Justice Essay Competition

Each year, students will write about a different topic. This year, students are directed to write about legal remedies to combat climate change.

More
Sponsoring Organization:

R. Ben Hogan III of Hogan Law Office and Gerson H. Smoger of Smoger & Associates

Award Maximum:
$5,000
Application Deadline:
April 29
Eligibility Requirements:

Current law students

Current masters of law students

Law graduates post 2015

May not be offered this year - verify status with the scholarship provider

Mendes Hershman Writing Contest

The Mendes Hershman Student Writing Contest is a highly regarded legal writing competition that encourages and rewards law students for their outstanding writing on business law topics.

More
Sponsoring Organization:

American Bar Association (ABA) Business Law Section

Award Maximum:
$1,000
Application Deadline:
April 30
Eligibility Requirements:

Current J.D. student

Enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school

In good standing

21 years old

Legal resident of U.S.

Admiralty and Maritime Law Committee Law Student Writing Competition

The goal of the Competition is to encourage scholarship and to assist law students interested in careers in admiralty and maritime law by providing a platform to showcase their work and develop their professional networks through the Admiralty & Maritime Law Committee (“AMLC”) and TIPS of the ABA.

More
Sponsoring Organization:

American Bar Association (ABA) Tort Trial and Insurance Practice (TIPS) Section

Award Maximum:
$1,000
Application Deadline:
April 30
Eligibility Requirements:

Current J.D. student or LL.M. candidate

ABA-accredited school

21 or older

U.S. Citizen

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