Award Deadlines! Award Deadlines!
Get Your Nominations In!
Nominations are due April 15 for the Law Student Division's annual awards:
Student Bar Association of the Year, Regional SBA of the Year, SBA President of the Year and Regional SBA President of the Year.
Awards are given for four areas of the country: Northeast, which includes the First, Second and Third circuits of the Law Student Division; Southeast, which includes the Fourth, Fifth, Tenth and Eleventh circuits; Midwest, which is the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth circuits; and West, the Ninth, Twelfth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth circuits.
Criteria include organization and structure of a law school's Student Bar Association; performance by its members as a team; the number and quality of programs and events; interaction with faculty and administration; extent to which the organization voices and addresses the concerns of students; and the organization's interaction with both the local legal and nonlegal communities.
Membership Award. Given in two categories: Outstanding Circuit and Outstanding School.
Criteria include the number of law students who are members of the American Bar Association's Law Student Division; the number of new ABA members as of March 15; participation in the Law Student Division's three annual competitions; attendance at Law Student Division circuit meetings; circuit activities; and the extent of participation in other ABA-sponsored activities such as Work-A-Day, speaker programs, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program and orientation activities.
Public Interest Award.
One law school will receive an award based on the degree of its commitment to public interest work: mandatory pro bono, volunteer programs, clinics, public interest organizations, loan forgiveness programs, career services and financial aid for public interest jobs; student participation and reaction to public interest work; and faculty and administration reaction to public interest.
Dean Henry Ramsey Jr. Award.
Given to an individual, corporation, law firm, law school or other organization for its work toward promoting the involvement of women and minorities within the legal profession.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Award. Given in two categories: Outstanding Rookie Site and Outstanding Continuing Site.
Criteria include student participation relative to enrollment; number of years the VITA program has existed at a law school; the number of federal tax returns that are prepared; the location of law school and VITA centers; the timeliness of reports to the VITA National Student Director and circuit Lieutenant Governor for VITA; thoroughness of reports-especially the final report due May 1; letters of commendation by faculty members or dean; quality of suggestions for improving the program; student originality, ingenuity and motivation in publicizing and providing the service; the establishment or existence of a tax law society; and provisions for continuity of program.
Newspaper Contest. Awards are given in the following five categories: Best Overall Newspaper, Best Overall Magazine, Best Feature Article, Best Humorous Article and Best Editorial.
Criteria include staffing, equipment, technology used, organization, length of existence, budget and frequency of publication. Open to any ABA-accredited law school, but only one entry per category is permitted.
For information regarding applications or nominations for all awards except the VITA Award, contact the Law Student Division's office at the American Bar Association, 750 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60611, 312/988-5624. For information regarding the VITAAward, call 800/FON-VITA (366-8482).
