2012-2013 STUDENT WRITING COMPETITION
The Animal Law Section of the State Bar of Texas is pleased to announce its second annual student writing competition. The purpose of the Animal Law Section is to promote the study and understanding of laws, regulations and court decisions relating to legal issues involving animals. With this competition, the Section seeks to encourage students at Texas law schools to engage in the study, and enter the practice, of animal law.
The Animal Law Section was created in 1996 and now has more than 300 members. The Section is known nationally for its annual Animal Law Institute, which brings in speakers from Texas and nationwide to speak on a wide range of animal law topics. The Section publishes a semiannual newsletter and, with its inaugural issue scheduled for spring 2013, the Texas Animal Law Journal. The Section also maintains an active e-mail listserv where members share news and ideas, discuss legal issues, and refer potential clients.
WRITING COMPETITION RULES
Prize: The top three papers chosen will receive awards of $1500, $1000, and $500, respectively, and an offer to publish in the Texas Animal Law Journal.
Topic: Students may write on any topic that is related to Animal Law.
Eligibility: All students who are currently enrolled in, or who graduated any time during calendar year 2012 from, a Texas law school are eligible. No jointly written submissions or papers previously published, or accepted for publication, in any form will be considered.
Deadline: Entries must be received by e-mail by 5:00 p.m. CST on Friday, November 30, 2012. No late entries will be accepted. Instructions regarding electronic submission are indicated below.
Judging Criteria: Submissions will be judged based on the quality, clarity, originality, and organization of the work.
Submission Requirements:
• Cover Page. Each submission must contain a cover page in a separate document (for submission purposes) including:
• Title of submission;
• Author’s name;
• Author’s law school and graduation date or expected graduation date (semester and year);
• Author’s permanent and school mailing address; and
• Author’s e-mail address and telephone number.
• If any information is subject to change, please indicate the change and its effective date.
• To preserve impartial judging, the author’s name and law school must not appear anywhere in the paper other than the cover page.
• Length and Formatting. Submissions must be between 15 and 40 pages long (including footnotes) and must be typewritten, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font on 8½ x 11-inch paper, with 1 inch margins. Footnotes should be single-spaced in 10-point font. Citation style must conform to the Bluebook.
• Electronic Submission and Competition Questions. All entries must be submitted by the deadline to ALS Council Member Kristen Schlemmer at kschlemmer AT gmail DOT com. Submissions must be in Microsoft Word or PDF format. Please include the cover page and the submitted paper in separate documents. You will receive e-mail confirmation of receipt within two business days of your submission. If you have not received confirmation within that time or have questions regarding the competition, please contact ALS Council Member Susan Hightower at 512-789-3629.