Announcing the 2004 International Association of Defense Counsel Legal Writing Contest.

The IADC's annual Legal Writing Contest is open to law students who at the time of the submission of their articles are enrolled in law schools approved by the American Bar Association or Canadian law schools listed in the Association of American Law Schools Directory. In order to inform members of this important activity and enlist their support in publicizing the contest, the rules of the competition are listed below.

IADC LEGAL WRITING CONTEST 2003 RULES

1. Eligibility. The International Association of Defense Counsel 2004 Legal Writing Contest is open to students who, at the time of submission of their entries, are enrolled in law schools accredited by the American Bar Association or in Canadian law schools listed in the Association of American Law Schools Directory.

2. Subject Matter. Entries must be submitted in the English language on a subject of practical concern to lawyers engaged in the defense or management of the defense of civil litigation, such as, for examples, relevant aspects of tort law, insurance law, civil procedure, evidence, damages, alternative dispute resolution procedures, and professional ethics.

3. Authorship and Publication. Entries must be certified by the entrant on the IADC entry form to be the original and sole work of the entrant. At the time of submission, the entry must not have been published or accepted for publication, and the author must be free to execute the assignment of copyright to IADC referred to in Rule 7.

4. Judging. The contest will be judged by a committee of the IADC, whose decisions will be final. In addition to the monetary award winners, the judges may designate entries worthy of honorable mention, but which will receive no monetary award.

5. Judging Standards. Articles will be judged on the following factors: (1) the choice of subject matter, as measured by its significance, international or national relevance, and timeliness; (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. Entrants also should consider the points...