Essay Requirements
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Entries should be written as scholarly essays. All entries must be prepared originally for this contest and must not be previously published in any format. Each entrant is required to assign to the ABA all rights, title, and interest in the essay submitted. It is the policy of the ABA, however, to release all assigned rights in all but the winning essay.
Essays should not exceed 3,000 words, including quoted matter and citations. Footnotes are not permitted, and citations should be incorporated into the main text.
Entrants may seek general feedback on their draft essays from professors, colleagues, and the like. An essay submitted to the competition, however, must be entirely the entrant's own work product and may not be written or edited by any other person.
Entrants must use the American Bar Association's Model Rule of Professional Conduct for their essays.
The essay should be typed, double-spaced on 8 ½" x 11" paper, with 1-inch margins on all sides. The number of words on each page should be entered in the bottom right-hand corner of that page. The total number of words should be entered on the last page. In computing the number of words, all articles and prepositions should be counted. Count numbers and abbreviations as words. For example: F.2d = 1 word;
746 F.2d 619 = 3 words.
Each entrant must complete and sign either a paper entry form or an electronic entry form, and provide their full name, address, and telephone number as indicated.
Identification
One cover sheet showing the name, address, and telephone number of the entrant, together with the entrant’s title for the entry, should be submitted with the essay. For identification, an entry number will be assigned on receipt of the entry, and the entrant will be advised of the number. No identification other than the title of the entry should appear on the essay itself. The cover sheet will be removed before the essay is read by the judges to assure objectivity in the judging process.