Writing competition open to all law students

Students enrolled at any Michigan law school can compete to win $500 cash or a $1,250 scholarship to an education law conference by writing a 1,500-word client letter as part of the Michigan Education Law Writing Competition.

The second place entrant will win a $250 cash prize. Honorable mentions also may be awarded.

The client letter is based on a hypothetical situation in which a parent openly carries a licensed gun to a high school band concert and is handcuffed and transported to jail by police officers after refusing to keep the gun in his vehicle.

“This is an opportunity for law students to showcase their writing and their knowledge of the law about this issue, and to connect with Michigan attorneys who represent school districts, teachers, students, and parents in education law matters,” said Kristi Bowman, associate dean for academic affairs and professor of law at Michigan State University College of Law.

The competition has been developed by an advisory board of Michigan lawyers.  Law firms and organizations from across the state are funding the competition. The competition will be judged by practicing attorneys, who will provide feedback to each entrant.

Contest entries are due by noon on Oct. 5, 2015.

Awards will be presented at a networking reception at 7 p.m. on November 10 at MSU Law.

The submissions written by all winners, in addition to the authors’ resumes, will be distributed to the sponsoring firms prior to this reception.

More information, including competition rules and scoring criteria, is available at http://law.msu.edu/edlaw.writingcomp.