Students and young lawyers—especially by the time they finish law school—may not have much appetite left for writing essays, but the CBA’s essay contests offer a lot more to sink their teeth into than a typical class paper.
The contests give up-and-coming lawyers the chance to build profile within the legal community, connect with senior members of the bar, and hone research and writing skills, while addressing complex and challenging legal issues.
Most awards come with cash prizes of $500, with the winner of the James H. Bocking Memorial Award in Competition Law receiving $2500. Many of the awards also include complimentary registration to a relevant CBA conference.
In 2019-2020, the CBA has two new essay contests available to law students. The Women Lawyers Forum is launching the Writing Her In Student Essay Contest, and the Municipal Law Section is launching the Municipal Law Section Student Essay Contest.
The deadline for all essay contests is March 31, 2020. Click on the links below for details about each contest:
- Administrative Law—Paul Smith Memorial Award
- Air and Space Law— Air and Space Law Section Student Essay Contest
- Alternative Dispute Resolution—James L. Thistle, Q.C. Memorial Award
- Business Law—The Langlois Prize (sponsored by Langlois lawyers)
- Charities and Not-for-Profit Law—Charities and Not-for-Profit Law Student Essay Contest
- Competition Law—The James H. Bocking Memorial Award
- Construction and Infrastructure Law—The Atrium Law Student Essay Contest
- Environmental, Energy and Resources Law—Gowling WLG-David Estrin Prize (sponsored by Gowling WLG)
- Health Law—Health Law Student Essay Contest
- Intellectual Property—Intellectual Property Section Law Student Essay Contest
- Labour & Employment Law—Labour and Employment Law Section Student Essay Contest
- Municipal Law Section—Municipal Law Section Student Essay Contest (NEW)
- Privacy and Access Law—Privacy and Access Law Section Student Essay Contest
- Women Lawyers Forum—Essay Contest: Writing Her In (NEW)