Real Property Section Law Student Writing Competition

2006 LEGAL WRITING CONTEST

by Lawrence M. Schonberger

The Real Property Section of the Virginia State Bar announces its 2006 Legal Writing Contest. Entries must be an original work, not previously published, on a subject in the field of real property law. Monetary prizes of $500.00 for first place, $300.00 for second, and $200.00 for third will be awarded. The winning entry will be published in the Fall 2006 edition of the FEE SIMPLE, the semi-annual publication of the Real Property Section of the Virginia State Bar, and will also be posted on the Real Property Section website, http://www.vsb.org/sections/rp/index.htm.

CONTEST RULES

1. Eligibility. The Real Property Section 2006 Legal Writing Contest is open to students who, at the time of submission of their entries, are enrolled as J.D. candidates in Virginia law schools accredited by the American Bar Association.

2. Subject Matter. Entries must be on a subject of practical concern to lawyers engaged in the practice of real property law. For example, real property articles on contracts, covenants, the impact of recent amendments to statutes, the impact of recent court decisions, foreclosures, condominiums, title issues, survey issues, leases, environmental issues, land use and zoning, real estate based financing, condemnation would all be appropriate topics for articles.

3. Format. Entries must be submitted in the English language on 8-1/2" x 11" paper, double-spaced, and on diskette in Word format. Footnotes should appear at the end of the text. Use The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (17th edition) for style. The article does not have to be a "law review" style article, but may be written in a magazine style format. The article should be between 1,000 and 1,500 words in length exclusive of footnotes. For examples of different article formats which are acceptable for submission please refer to prior editions of the FEE SIMPLE and also refer to The Practical Real Estate Lawyer, which is published by the American Law Institute - American Bar Association Committee of Continuing Legal Education.

4. Authorship and Publication. Entries must be the original work of the author. Entries may be co-authored. Compliance with this requirement permits borrowing from the writings of others, provided due attribution is given. Direct quotations must always be shown as such. At the time of submission, the entry must not have been published or accepted for publication by any other periodical.

5. Judging. The contest will be judged by a committee appointed by the Board of Governors of the Real Property Section, whose decisions will be final. In addition to the monetary award winners, the judges may designate entries worthy of honorable mention. Articles will be judged on the following factors: (1) the choice of subject matter, as measured by its significance and relevance to the practice of real estate law; (2) the amount of work and effort, as measured by the entry's comprehensiveness and analysis; (3) the quality of the legal analysis, as measured by its objectivity and balance; and (4) the writing quality, as measured by clarity of expression, brevity, and literary construction.

6. Monetary Awards. Monetary awards will be made as follows: US$500.00 to first place, US$300.00 to second place, and US$200.00 to third place. Honorary mentions receive no monetary awards.

7. Publication. The entry awarded first prize will be published in the Fall 2006 edition of the FEE SIMPLE, the semi-annual publication of the Real Property Section of the Virginia State Bar, and will also be posted on the Real Property Section website, http://www.vsb.org/sections/rp/index.htm. The judges reserve the right to publish additional entries in the event the judges find said entries worthy. Acceptance for publication in any publication other than the FEE SIMPLE prior to notice to the author of an award in this contest will disqualify the entry. Entrants are expected to notify the Real Property Section promptly of such prior acceptance by another publication.

8. Subscription. A year's subscription to the FEE SIMPLE will be given to all contestants who meet the qualifications for entry in this contest.

9. Deadline for 2006 Entries. If transmitted by mail, entries must be postmarked on or before May 1, 2006. If transmitted other than by mail, they must be received on or before that date.

10. Directions for Transmission. Entries, together with a cover letter certifying that the entry is the sole work of the author(s) and granting permission for the work to be published in the FEE SIMPLE, must be transmitted to Lawrence M. Schonberger, Esquire at Sevila, Saunders, Huddleston & White, P.C., 30 N. King Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20176. Questions regarding submissions may be directed to Mr. Schonberger by telephone at (703) 777-5700 or by email at LSchonberger@sshw.com.