Education Law Writing Competition open to Law Students in Michigan

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 will also be awarded.

The client letter is based on a hypothetical situation involving a biologically male high school student who identifies as female. She is seeking to use the women’s restroom and locker facilities at her public high school, as well as compete on the women’s track team. Participants are asked to choose a client in this situation and write a letter analyzing the relevant issues.

“We’re excited for the second year of this competition. We had great entries last year, and look forward to seeing more outstanding work from law students in our state,” said Kristi Bowman, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law at MSU Law. Through this competition, students have an opportunity to demonstrate their writing skills and legal knowledge, and to tackle salient issues in education law. In addition, students are able connect with Michigan attorneys who represent school districts, teachers, students, and parents in education law matters, and receive personalized feedback on their work. 

Contest entries are due by noon on October 24, 2016. Awards will be presented at a networking reception at 7 p.m. on November 16 at the Michigan State University College of 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 on the contest’s website: http://law. msu.edu/edlaw.writingcomp