The 2007 Richard Grand Legal Writing Competition

Richard Grand conceived the idea of a writing competition that would emphasize persuasive skills and effective communication. This is the competition’s seventh year. All students at the Rogers College of Law are eligible to enter.

Using a legal problem prepared by the faculty at the Rogers College of Law, students prepare a written legal argument, an essay, or an article. The form and content of the problem changes from year to year. The students’ writing will be judged for accuracy, brevity, clarity, and content.

For this year's Competition, participants will be asked to write a profile of a living individual who has had some experience with the law or the legal system. It could be a lawyer, a judge, a victim, a criminal defendant, a witness, a juror, a litigant, a police officer, a migrant, a civil rights advocate -- the possibilities are many. The problem itself will be posted on this web site before noon on October 19, 2007.

THE PROBLEM: Posted: October 19, 2007 11:53

 Click here to view/print/download the problem

PRIZES:

The top five students will receive cash prizes of:
First Place: $2000
Second Place: $1000
Third Place: $500
Fourth Place: $250
Fifth Place: $250

WHO MAY ENTER:

All current students of the James E. Rogers College of Law may enter the competition.  J.D. students, advanced-degree students, visiting students, and transfer students may enter.

DATES AND TIMES:

The competition runs from noon Friday, October 19 to 8:00 a.m. Monday, October 29, 2007.  The problem will be posted on the College of Law web site no later than noon, October 19.  All entries must be submitted no later than 8:00 a.m. on October 29.  No late entries will be accepted.

COMPETITION NUMBERS
           
All articles must be submitted anonymously, using a competition number and not a name.  To obtain your competition number, please e-mail Donald Sheldon in Faculty Services at donald.sheldon@law.arizona.edu.  Tell him that you are participating in the Grand Legal Writing Competition and you would like a competition number.  Please also tell him your name, phone number, and whether you are a 1L, 2L, 3L, or advanced degree student.  Donald will e-mail you your competition number.  Place this number on every page of your article.  We recommend that you obtain your competition number in the first day or two of the Competition.  That way, if we need to send an e-mail with a clarification or correction, we will be able to reach you.

ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS:

Prior to Monday, October 29 at 8:00 a.m., please submit your finished article electronically to donald.sheldon@law.arizona.edu.  Follow the following guidelines:

Send as an e-mail attachment in Word, WordPerfect, or Rich Text Format only.
Write your competition number on each page of your answer.

If you submit your article more than once, we will accept the e-mail with the latest time listed.
                                               
QUESTIONS:

If a question arises about this Competition, you may choose to resolve it yourself by including an explanatory note with your answer.  If you need to speak to someone to resolve a question, please send an e-mail to all of the following three addresses:  tk.knight@law.arizona.edu, lee.tucker@law.arizona.edu, and rabe@law.arizona.edu.  Include your phone number in the email.  One of us will be on call throughout the Competition to check e-mail regularly and answer questions within a reasonable amount of time. 

Important:  If you feel that disclosure of your identity with your question will compromise the anonymity of your entry, please send your question only to tk.knight@law.arizona.edu.  Ms. Knight, who will not be involved in the judging of the Competition, will either (1) answer your question herself or (2) remove all indications of your identity before she seeks an answer from Professor Rabe or Professor Tucker.  (For instance, if your question involves a format question, please send the question to all three email addresses.  If your question involves the subject or content of your entry, please send the question only to T.K. Knight.)

Entries will be judged for accuracy, clarity, brevity, and content.  A winning entry will tell a story; it will be both well-written and interesting.  Professor Suzanne Rabe and Professor Lee Tucker will evaluate the student entries and choose five finalists.  Then, a panel of outside judges will rank the finalists to determine the order of the awards.  The awards will be announced in January, 2008.