Legal Writing Scholarship Grants

LWI works jointly with ALWD to select recipients of competitive scholarship grants. These grants reflect the two organizations’ commitment to the professional development of legal research and writing professionals. Recipients are full-time professors teaching legal writing who demonstrate great promise in their pursuit of a particular scholarly project. Any full time professor of legal writing may apply, though the dollar amount of the grant could depend on the successful applicant’s ability to obtain scholarship stipends at his or her home school.

For 2010, LexisNexis is pleased to support the LWI/ALWD Scholarship Grant program by offering $10,000 in incremental funding. The LexisNexis contribution of $10,000 is in addition to the grant money supplied by LWI and ALWD. LexisNexis also publishes Legal Writing: The Journal of the Legal Writing Institute. LWI thanks LexisNexis for all of its support of scholarship related to legal research and writing.

2009 Scholarship Grant Winners

Carrie Sperling (ALWD will fund)

Shooting Ourselves in the Foot: Are Lawyers' Demand Letters Creating Protracted Litigation Instead of Favorable Settlements?

Brenda L. Tofte & Beth Honetschlager (LWI will fund)

Judicial Clerkships: A Practical Guide

Mark E. Hoch (ALWD will fund)

A New Wave in Legal Education: Exploring Emerging Paradigms for Oral Advocacy Feedback with Digital Video Annotation Software Technology

Julia Glencer, Erin Karsman, Tara Willke (ALWD will fund)

Creating A Practical Legal Skills Simulation Course Using a Team-Teaching Approach

Gabriel H. Teninbaum (LWI will fund)

Playing the Nazi Card: Reductio ad Hitlerum Arguments in Judicial Opinions

Application Procedures

1. Eligibility: The Legal Writing Scholarship Grants, sponsored by LWI & ALWD are open to both full-time and adjunct teachers of legal writing and research. Teachers who have previously received an LWI or ALWD Summer Research Grant are ineligible for this program for three years after they have received such a grant. LWI and ALWD Board members, officers, and members of either the LWI Scholarship Development Committee or the ALWD Scholarship Committee are ineligible to participate until they have been out of those positions for a full academic year. LWI and ALWD encourage proposals from both veteran professionals and those new to the field.

2. Deadline: Applications must be received by 5 p.m. Pacific Time on February 1 of the applicable year. More instructions about where to email the documents will be posted on this website by January of each year and will also be sent out via the legal writing listserv.

3. Application materials: The grant application is a separate Word document and will be posted in late fall each year. By way of example, the 2008 application can be accessed here. 

Prior Recipients

The following people have received scholarships in the past. Please feel free to contact them for advice about their applications. ***Please also note that prior to 2007, all recipients were funded by ALWD. As of 2007 both ALWD and LWI fund the grants through one joint selection process.

2002: Susan Duncan & David Ritchie & Jason Eyster & Jim Levy

2003: Sarah Ricks & Ruth Anne Robbins & Melissa Weresh

2004: Marilyn Preston & Julie Spanbauer & Adam Todd & Kathleen Vinson

2005: Peter Friedman & Melissa Marlow-Shaffer & Lucille Reganese & Louis Schulze, Jr. & David Thomson

2006: Mark Burge & Leah Christensen & Russell McClain & Jennifer Shepard & Andrew Solomon & Hollee Temple

2007: Brady Coleman & Anna Hemingway & Katerina Lewinbuk & Lance Long & Julie Oseid & Leah Christensen & Sheila Rodriguez & Carol Wallinger

2008: Mary Adkins & Beth Brennan & Anne Goldstein & Mark Osbeck & Alex Ruskell

For additional information, see the ALWD website.