LAW STUDENT RESOURCE PAGE

Susan Strachan (Trust & Estate Division)

Veronica Lopez (Real Property Division)

The University of Miami School of Law Graduate Programs in Estate Planning and Real Property Development is sponsoring the 2008 Real Property, Trust and Estate Law (RPTE) law student writing contest. The first-place winner will receive $1,500 cash and a one-year membership in the RPTE Section (valued at $50). The winner will also receive free round-trip airfare and weekend accommodations to attend the RPTE Fall Leadership Meeting, November 5th - 9th in Montreal, Quebec Canada (valued at approximately $1,000). In addition, the winner’s essay will be considered for publication in a future issue of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Journal and announced in Probate & Property, the Section magazine.

The second-place winner will receive $700 cash and will be announced in Probate & Property. The third-place winner will receive $500 cash and an honorable mention in Probate & Property.

2008 Contest Rules and Entry Form - Deadline June 20th, 2008

RPTE Announces

2007 Law Student Writing Contest Winners!

First Place - Brandon Simmons, Stanford Law School

“Kelo’s Planning Mandate: Replacing Clarity with Complication”

Second Place - Timothy J. Vitollo, Michigan State University

“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”

Third Place - Alice R. Green, Emory University School of Law

“To Fee or Not To Fee:  Bankruptcy Courts’ Struggle for Reasonableness in Prepayment”

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

2006 - 2007 Writing Contest

• 1st place - Michael J. Percy of Santa Clara University, School of Law, for his submission, “Delta Levees – Tort Immunity vs. Takings Liability.”
• 2nd place - Jeremy R. Moss, Columbus School of Law
• 3rd place - William H. Woolston, College of William and Mary, School of Law

2004-2005 Writing Contest

• 1st place - Craig S. Kaufman of Temple University in Philadelphia for “Sympathy for the Devil’s Advocate: Assisting the Attorney General When Charitable Matters Reach the Courtroom.”
• 2nd place - Adrienne Iwamoto Suarez of the University of Hawaii, Honolulu
• 3rd place - Jennifer Felton of Southwestern University in Los Angeles

2003-2004 Writing Contest

• 1st place - Kelly Culpin, Emory University
• 2nd place -Malia Schreck, University of Hawaii
• 3rd place - Ruth Cramer, Valparaiso University School of Law

2002-2003 Writing Contest

• 1st place -Catherine Vogel of the University of Houston for her submission "Military Readiness and Environmental Security - Can They Coexist?"

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• Law Student Liasons
• Law Student 2008 RPTE Writing Contest
• 2007 Contest Winners
• Past Contest Winners
• Law Student Brochure
• Fellows Program

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. Your password is your last name in lowercase letters. To join 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 413,000 members, The American Bar Association (ABA) 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, promote programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredit law schools, provide continuing legal education, and build public understanding of the importance of law in a democratic society all around the world. Join the ABA!