About the Competition
This writing competition is made possible by an initial generous gift to the Delaware Bar Foundation from Mrs. Barbara Stargatt and her family in memory of her late husband, Bruce M. Stargatt.
Bruce was a distinguished Delaware lawyer who, among many other accomplishments, was a founding partner of Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor, and a past president of the Delaware Bar Foundation and the Delaware State Bar Association.
Topic
In keeping with Bruce Stargatt’s keen interest in legal writing and the ethical practice of law, we invite papers concerning ethical issues in the practice of law.
Beyond this general description, the precise issue to be dealt with is in the author’s discretion.
Eligibility
The competition is open to:
- students enrolled in, and 2018 graduates of any American Bar Association accredited law school,
- individuals who have registered for or have taken the 2018 Delaware Bar Examination
- law clerks currently employed by a member of the Delaware judiciary, and
- Delaware attorneys admitted for no more than five years.
Prize Information
1st Prize: $3000
2nd Prize: $1000
3rd Prize: $500
The first place paper will be published in “Delaware Lawyer” magazine (a publication of the Delaware Bar Foundation, distributed quarterly without charge to all members of the Delaware Bar).
The author of the first place paper will be invited to receive his or her prize at the Delaware State Bar Association/Delaware Bar Foundation seminar in Wilmington in Fall 2018.
Prizes will not be awarded if the judges determine that no entry meets the appropriate standards.
Rules
- No paper that has been previously published in any form will be considered. However, papers written for course credit will be considered as long as they have not been published.
- Each paper must be the original work of the submitting author. The author must execute and submit with her/his paper the License Agreement attached hereto.
- The length of the paper should not exceed 2500 words, including the title page, body, footnotes, figures and tables, if any. The Delaware Bar Foundation reserves the right to edit papers for publication due to space constraints when necessary.
- Citations should be in standard Bluebook form.
- A cover page that includes the author’s name, contact information, and eligibility to enter the competition should be included with the paper at the time of submission.
Deadline and Submission
- Papers must be submitted by midnight (EDT) on September 15, 2018.
- Papers must be submitted electronically to mflynn@delawarebarfoundation.org. Please use the subject line “Stargatt Legal Ethics Writing Competition”.
- Direct questions to Bruce M. Stargatt Legal Ethics Writing Competition, Delaware Bar Foundation, 100 W. 10th St., Suite 106, Wilmington, DE 19801, or 302-658-0773, or mflynn@delawarebarfoundation.org.
- Prize winners will be informed on or before November 1, 2018.
