ABA Section of Business Law

• Each ABA-accredited law school, acting through its dean, is asked to nominate one paper on a high quality business law topic written in the 2007-2008 or current academic year by a student currently enrolled in the law school's J.D. program.
  
  
• The paper may be specifically prepared for this contest; submitted in a class, seminar, or as an independent study; or a proposed law review/journal note, comment or article.
  
  
• Papers that have been submitted to or published by a student publication are acceptable for submission to the contest. The application form must indicate to which publications the work has been submitted and if it has been published.
  
  
• Papers submitted are normally 20-30 pages long, but in any event should not exceed 100 pages of double-spaced typed text, including footnotes.
  
  
• A student need not be a member of the Section of Business Law to participate.

The prizes for the writing contest are:

• First Place: $2,500 to the first place winner to be presented at the Section of Business Law Spring Meeting in Vancouver, BC.
• Second Place: $1,000 to the second place winner to be presented at the Section of Business Law Spring Meeting in Vancouver, BC.
• Third Place: $500 to the third place winner to be presented at the Section of Business Law Spring Meeting in Vancouver, BC.

The papers will be judged on research and analysis, choice of topic, writing style, originality, and contribution to the literature available on the topic. Depending on the topic, prior publication, and other factors, a previously unpublished first place winning essay may be considered for publication in a Section publication.

"Business Law" is a broad category. Without attempting to define the area precisely, the subject is intended to include matters within law school curricula in courses entitled:

Agency Bankruptcy Business Law Business Organizations Commercial Law Consumer Law Contracts Corporate Finance Corporate Governance Corporations

Creditor's Rights Financial Institutions Employment Law Insurance Law Oil and Gas Law Professional Responsibility Remedies Secured Transactions Securities Regulations Uniform Commercial Code

The 2009 winners and their respective topics and law schools are:

• First Place:
  Scotland M. Duncan, University of Pittsburgh School of Law
  Dura's Effect on Securities Class Actions
• Second Place:
  Stephen M. Sothmann, Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis
  Let He Who is without Sin Cast the First Stone: Foreign Direct Investment and National Security Regulation in China
• Third Place:
  Yuri de Lima Mantilla, Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center
  The Survival of the United States Ethanol Subsidies and Tariff: Are There Any More Reasons to Keep Them on the Books?