Will Hudson (Real Property Division)

Jason Yoepp (Trust and Estate Division)

2009 RPTE Law Student Writing Contest Winners

First-place - Shea B. Airey from the University of South Carolina - "Conservation Easements in Private Practice: A Detailed Overview of the Device and Why It Should Be Embraced by the American Lawyer"

Second-place - Jonathan Ohring from Emory Law School - "Mommy, Where's Daddy (And the Money He Left Me)? A Model for Legislatures and Courts in Determining the Neglected Inheritance Rights of Posthumously Conceived Children"

Third-place - Elliott Joh from the University of Chicago Law School - "Denominations and Denominators: Applying Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council to Resolve RLUIPA 'Substantial Burden on Religious Land Use' Cases"

Shea B. Airey, the first-place winner, will receive $2,500 cash, a one-year free membership in the Section and free round-trip airfare and weekend accommodations to attend the Section's Fall Leadership Meeting, November 19 - 22, 2009 at the Montage Laguna Beach, Laguna Beach, California (valued at approximately $1,000). In addition, Shea's essay will be considered for publication in a future issue of the Real Property, Trust & Estate Law Journal. Jonathan Ohring, the second-place winner, will receive $1,500 cash, and Elliott Joh, the third-place winner, will receive $1,000 cash.

The goal of the RPTE student writing contest is to encourage and reward law student writing on real property and trust and estate law subjects of general and current interest. As part of this effort, the Section sponsors the RPTE writing contest, which invites law school students to submit original essays on current topics in the fields. The essay contest is designed to attract students to these law specialties and to encourage scholarship in these areas.

2008-2009 Writing Contest

• 1st place - Amy Jo Smith, "Curbing the License to Steal: A Discussion of English Law and Possible Reforms for the Durable Power of Attorney"
• 2nd place - Tyson Tamashiro, "RLUIPA and the Individualized Assessment: Special Use Permits and Variances under Strict Congressional Scrutiny"
• 3rd place - Jessica Vollmer, "A Question of Property Rights: The Constitutionality of Maryland's Ground Rent Reform"

2007-2008 Writing Contest

• 1st place - Brandon Simmons, "Kelo's Planning Mandate: Replacing Clarity with Complication"
• 2nd place - Timothy J. Vitollo, "The Status of Uniform Trust Code Section 503: The Argument for Applying Hamilton orders to Spendthrift Interests, Plus a Fifty State Survey of the Ability of Creditors to Reach the Property of a Spendthrift Trust"
• 3rd place - Alice R. Green, "To Fee or Not To Fee: Bankruptcy Courts' Struggle for Reasonableness in Prepayment"

2006-2007 Writing Contest

• 1st place - Michael J. Percy, "Delta Levees – Tort Immunity vs. Takings Liability"
• 2nd place - Jeremy R. Moss, "A Win-Win Situation: Self-Evaluation by Homeowners' Associations of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions in Light of the First Amendment Rights of their Residents"
• 3rd place - William H. Woolston, "Whose Money Is It, Anyway? The Case for a Mortality Discount for Early Termination Lump Sum Distributions in Cash Between Plans"

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• Law Student Webpage
• 2009 Law Student Writing Contest Rules and Entry Form
• Past Contest Winners
• Law Student Brochure
• Fellows Program

Find out more in the law student brochure below!

Are you curious to hear what current members say about RPTE Membership? View testimonials here!

If you're already an ABA member, simply add the Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law to your membership. The Section dues are $55 annually. Use your ABA membership ID to log in to the ABA website. If you need help with your password, or to join the Section by phone or mail, contact the ABA Service Center at 800-285-2221 to speak with a membership representative. You must first be a member of the ABA to join the Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section.

With more than 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.