PUBLISHED:December 29, 2009

Tort Trial and Insurance Practice (TIPS) Law Student Writing Contest

Submit an essay addressing a current legal topic under the purview of one of the Section’s substantive law committees, and become eligible to win a number of great prizes!

Rules and Regulations
Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section
Law Student Writing Competition
The goal of the competition is to encourage and reward law student writings on legal subjects within the scope of the Section and of general and current interest. It is also designed to attract students to the civil trial, tort and insurance fields, and to strongly encourage scholarship in these areas.
Rules concerning the competition are as follows. The dates shown will change each year.
1. The competition is open to any law school student in good standing, over the age of 18, who is currently attending an ABA-accredited law school within the United States and its possessions. All authors must be members of the American Bar Association Law Student Division at the time of submitting the entry. Employees of the ABA, and its respective affiliates and immediate family or household members of such employees are not eligible.
2. Papers should address an essay on a current topic in a legal area covered by one of the Section’s substantive law committees. The Section will interpret the scope of the subject broadly to ensure that the Competition affords the greatest degree of flexibility in writing on these subject areas. The Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section covers a wide variety of practice disciplines. Without attempting to define the area precisely, the subject is intended to include, but not be limited to, matters within any of the following areas: Admiralty and Maritime Law, Animal Law, Appellate Advocacy, Automobile Law, Aviation and Space Law, Business Litigation, Commercial Transportation Litigation, Employee Benefits, Employment Law and Litigation, Environmental Law, Excess Surplus Lines and Reinsurance, Fidelity and Surety Law, Government Law, Health and Disability Insurance Law, International Law, Insurance Coverage Litigation, Life Insurance Law, Media, Privacy and Defamation Law, Medicine and Law, Products Liability, Consumer Law, Professionals’, Officers’ and Directors’ Liability Law, Property Insurance Law, Insurance Regulation , Technology & Law, Title Insurance Litigation, Toxic Torts, Workers’ Compensation and Employers’ Liability Law, and Trial Techniques.
Entrants are encouraged to write on subjects of national interest, not state specific issues. Entrants must submit their own original essay. Failure to submit an original essay will result in its disqualification and the selection of a new winner.
3. Essays must be submitted by e-mail to lmwiley@staff.abanet.org.
4. Essays must not exceed 35 pages of double-spaced typed text, including footnotes. Only one essay is to be submitted for each entrant. Entrants should write essays in traditional law review style, presenting a scholarly discussion with full citation to authority in footnotes. Lengthy lists and outlines normally are not appropriate within the text of an essay, however, they may be included as appendices to a textual discussion. For example, if the law of all states on a subject is surveyed, the essay may compare analytically how and why the law differs between jurisdictions. A listing of the law by jurisdiction within the body of the essay would generally not be appropriate. If such a listing of the law by jurisdiction would be of particular value to the reader, it may be included in an appendix to the essay. Entrants should write essays in the active voice and in the third person. Essays should conform to the 17th edition of The Bluebook—A Uniform System of Citation.