2021 Academic Awards
Congratulations 2021 graduates! View the winners of the 2021 Academic Awards below.
View the Academic Awards Celebration Book
View all Academic Awards and Student Honors
Awards for Excellence in Clinical Practice
Manuel & Ana María Benítez Award for Clinical Excellence in Immigration Law
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor class who demonstrated extraordinary ability in his or her work in the Immigration Clinic and who possesses the qualities of the namesakes, both immigrants, including initiative, creativity, zeal, loyalty, and integrity.
Community Legal Clinics Volunteer Service Award
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor class who excelled in volunteering his or her time and energy to promote the goals and ideals of law in the public interest by contributing to the efforts of the Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics.
The Clinical Legal Education Association Outstanding Student Award
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor class who excelled in a clinical course of law.
Makenzie Briglia
John F. Evans Award
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor class for outstanding achievement in the criminal division of the Law Students in Court Program.
Richard C. Lewis, Jr. Memorial Award
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor class who exhibited extraordinary dedication to his or her work in the Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics and unusual compassion and humanity toward clients and colleagues.
Awards for Distinguished Accomplishment
Justice Thurgood Marshall Civil Liberties Award
Presented to the members of the graduating Juris Doctor or Master of Laws class who demonstrated outstanding performance in and dedication to the field of civil rights and civil liberties.
Samrin Ali
Matthew Clauson
Violet Edelman
Joshua Gilmer
Brooke Pemberton
ALI CLE Law Scholarship and Leadership Award
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor or Master of Laws class who best represents a combination of scholarship and leadership.
Michael Dillon Cooley Memorial Award
Presented to the members of the graduating Juris Doctor class who shared most generously of his or her time, compassion, and vitality to aid the intellectual and spiritual growth of fellow students.
National Association of Women Lawyers Outstanding Law Graduate Award
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor or Master of Laws class who contributed to the advancement of women, promoted concerns of women in the legal profession, achieved academic success, and earned the respect of the law school faculty and administration.
Gina McKlveen
Robert E. Thibault & Richard B. Schenck Award for Service to the Military
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor or Master of Laws class who has undertaken extraordinary efforts to honor, assist, or otherwise support veterans and current members of the United States Armed Forces.
Judge Roger W. Titus Award
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor class who seeks or obtains a federal district court clerkship and who embodies the qualities of academic excellence, personality, and humility that Judge Titus sought in his law clerks.
Thelma Weaver Memorial Award
Presented to a foreign student in the graduating Master of Laws class who has contributed most to the intellectual and professional life of the law school, its students, and its faculty.
Hooman Movassagh
Awards for Excellence in a General Field of Study
American Bankruptcy Institute Medal for Excellence in Bankruptcy Studies
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor class who demonstrated excellence in the field of debtor and creditor law.
Ogden W. Fields Labor Law Award
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor class who has demonstrated the highest overall proficiency in labor law.
Lawrence E. Seibel Memorial Award in Labor and Employment Law
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor class who has demonstrated excellence in the labor and employment law field.
Richard L. Teberg Award
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor class who demonstrated the highest overall proficiency in the area of securities law.
Henry R. Berger Award
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor class who has demonstrated excellence in the area of tort law.
Chris Bartok Memorial Award in Patent Law
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor class who has exhibited excellence in the area of patent law.
Finnegan Prizes in Intellectual Property Law
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor or Master of Laws class who wrote the best publishable article on an aspect of intellectual property law.
First
Danielle Manahan (2020)
Second
Kimberlynn Seifert (2020)
Third
Alice Danelia (2020)
Peter D. Rosenberg Prize in Patent and Intellectual Property Law
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor class who has exhibited excellence in the study of patent and intellectual property law.
Charles and Kathryn Miller Environmental Law Award
Presented to the members of the graduating Juris Doctor or Master of Laws class who demonstrated excellence in the field of environmental law.
Jamie Grodsky Prize for Environmental Law
Presented to the members of the graduating Juris Doctor or Master of Laws class for the best papers written in the previous year in the field of environmental law.
Aaron Aber (2020)
Laura Cahier (2021)
Phi Delta Phi Award
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor class who demonstrated excellence in the areas of professional responsibility, ethics, and jurisprudence.
Joel B. Rosenthal Commercial Law Award
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor class who demonstrated excellence in the area of commercial law.
Howard J. Rudge Creative Solutions Award
Presented to the members of the graduating Juris Doctor or Master of Laws class for the best papers proposing a creative solution to a serious societal problem in the United States.
James Franco
Lily Hsu
Helen Marsh
Jessica Mugler (2020)
Seena Paul
Patricia A. Tobin Government Procurement Law Award
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor or Master of Laws class who demonstrated excellence in the area of government procurement law.
Jennie Hassler Walburn Award
Presented to the members of the graduating Juris Doctor class who demonstrated excellence in the area of civil procedure.
Imogen Williford Constitutional Law Award
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor class who demonstrated excellence in the area of constitutional law.
Awards for Excellence in Oral Advocacy
Jacob Burns Award
Presented to the members of the graduating Juris Doctor class who were the winning team in the Van Vleck Moot Court Competition.
Ashlyn Roberts (2020)
Shane Roberts (2020)
Cohen & Cohen Mock Trial Award
Presented to the members of the graduating class who were the winning team in the Cohen & Cohen Mock Trial Competition.
Madison Kewin (2019)
Jessica Mugler (2019)
Christina Saad (2020)
CourtCall Law School Award
Presented to two members of the graduating class who were best in Moot Court competitions and in Mock Trial competitions.
Moot Court: Jessica Sullivan
Mock Trial: Helen Marsh
Judge Albert H. Grenadier Award
Presented to the members of the graduating Juris Doctor or Master of Laws class who represented the law school in the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.
Rothwell, Figg, Ernst & Manbeck Award
Presented to the members of the graduating Juris Doctor class who were the winning team in the on-campus Giles S. Rich Memorial Moot Court Competition.
Sean Wesp (2020)
Chih-wei Wu (2020)
Wrenne Bartlett (2021)
Joseph Toth (2021)
Pamela Spanogle International Commercial Arbitration Competition Award
Presented to the members of the graduating Juris Doctor class who represented the law school in the Willem Vis International Arbitration Competition.
Awards for Overall Academic Excellence
Kappa Beta Pi Full-Time Award
Presented to the female members of the graduating Juris Doctor class in the full-time courses of study who attained the highest cumulative averages in the first year.
Kappa Beta Pi Part-Time Award
Presented to the female members of the graduating Juris Doctor class in the part-time courses of study who attained the highest cumulative averages in the first year.
Phi Delta Delta Award
Presented to the female member of the graduating Juris Doctor class who attained the highest average in the first semester of study for the degree.
John Ordronaux 1L Award
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor class who attained the highest cumulative averages in the first year, full-time course of study.
John Ordronaux 2L Award
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor class who attained the highest cumulative averages in the second year, full-time course of study.
Charles Glover Award
Presented to a member of the graduating Juris Doctor class who attained the highest cumulative average in the third year, full-time course of study.
Taylor Kilpatrick
Willard Waddington Gatchell Award
Presented to the three members of the graduating Juris Doctor class who attained the highest cumulative averages in the entire course of the degree.
Anne Wells Branscomb Award
Presented to a member of the graduation Juris Doctor class who attained the highest cumulative average in the part-time division for the entire course of the degree.
Michael O'Neal
John Bell Larner Award
Presented to a member of the graduation Juris Doctor class who attained the highest cumulative average for the entire course of the degree.
Michael O'Neal