The 2009 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 ninth year.

Using a legal problem prepared by the faculty at the College of Law, students write a 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.

THE PROBLEM:

Click here to view the problem.

Posted October 23, 2009

PRIZES:

The top five students will receive cash prizes of:
First Place: $2000
Second Place: $1000
Third Place: $500
Honorable Mentions: $250 each

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 all may enter.

DATES AND TIMES:

The competition runs from Friday, October 23 to Monday, November 2. All entries must be submitted electronically no later than 8:00 a.m. on November 2. No late entries will be accepted.

ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS:

Prior to Monday, November 2 at 8:00 a.m., please submit your finished entry electronically to donald.sheldon@law.arizona.edu. Please put your name only on the first page of your submission. After assigning a competition number to your submission, Mr. Sheldon will then remove your name – and all metadata – so that the submissions can be evaluated anonymously.

Please send your entry as an e-mail attachment in Word, WordPerfect, PDF, or Rich Text Format only. If you submit an entry 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 entry. If you need to speak to someone to resolve a question, please send an email to Professor Suzanne Rabe at rabe@law.arizona.edu.  Include your phone number in the email. Professor Rabe will check her e-mail regularly and answer questions within a reasonable amount of time.  

Important: If you feel that disclosure of your identity with your question might in any way – no matter how remotely – compromise the anonymity of your entry, please send your question to Donald Sheldon at donald.sheldon@law.arizona.edu. Mr. Sheldon, who will not be involved in the judging of the competition, will either (1) answer your question himself or (2) remove all indications of your identity before he seeks an answer from Professor Rabe.

JUDGING AND AWARDS:

Entries will be judged for accuracy, clarity, brevity, and persuasiveness.  A winning entry

Click here to view the Rules & FAQ handout.