3Ls Honored for Writing, Leadership and Interest in Tax Law

At the end of each academic year, Carolina Law presents awards to students recognizing writing, leadership and practice interest. This year, five members of the Class of 2020 received the Bane Writing Award, The Millard S. Breckenridge Prize in Law and the Winston Crisp Award.

Bane Writing Award

The Bane Writing Award recognizes the importance Carolina Law places on writing. Faculty members nominate papers that they feel are exceptional. It is an honor based solely on the merit of faculty-nominated work, regardless of the student’s GPA, that reflects passion for a particular topic and the ability to translate that passion into exceptional written work.

Written work is eligible for nomination if it was part of a faculty-evaluated course for credit, including courses, seminars, and independent studies. Winners receive a monetary prize.

This year, two papers were named co-winners. They were submitted by Professors John Coyle and Deborah Gerhardt.

Katie Richardson won for her paper titled “From A to Z:  AOL to Zapata and the Enforceability of Forum Selection Clauses.”

Allison Cottle and Chandler Martin also won for their paper titled “Coloring within the Lines:  A Voyage into the Murky Legal Lagoon of Fan Art.”

“The awards committee reviewed a dozen 3L papers, but these two pieces rose to the very top of this highly competitive pool immediately,” said Mary-Rose Papandrea, Samuel  Ashe Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law and associate dean for academic affairs. “The two papers we selected for the Bane Award were both creative, exhaustively researched, and persuasively argued. The faculty is thrilled to recognized these students engaged in scholarship at such a high level of excellence.”

Millard S. Breckenridge Prize in Law

Ryan Bullard is the recipient of this year’s Millard S. Breckenridge Prize in Law. Named for a former Carolina Law faculty member, the award is presented to a graduating 3L who has demonstrated excellence in the study of tax law. This honor is accompanied by a monetary award and is chosen by the tax law faculty. It is awarded to a student with outstanding overall performance in tax law courses.

“Some students turn out to just ‘get’ tax law. Ryan is a stellar example of such a student,” said Leigh Osofsky, professor of law. “He was a star student across the entire Carolina Law tax curriculum, displaying both an innate acumen as well as a remarkable dedication to learn everything he could about tax. We are really excited to see the tax law career he has ahead of him.”

Winston Crisp Award

The Winston Crisp Award was initiated by the Student Bar Association during the 2005-2006 school year to recognize excellence in student leadership. Winston Crisp served the law school as associate dean of student services for 13 years. He demonstrated extraordinary leadership ability throughout his time at Carolina Law, both as a student and as an administrator. The Crisp Award seeks to recognize students who exemplify the same outstanding leadership. The winner receives a monetary prize.

This year’s recipient is Eric Fisher.

During Fisher’s time at Carolina Law, he served as the Editor in Chief of the North Carolina Law Review as well as an Honors Writing Scholar and a member of the Parents as Law Students (PALs) organization. The dedication and creativity he brought to these roles was unmatched. In his role as Editor in Chief, he sought to be inclusive of underrepresented voices with intentionality, dedication and a constant pursuit for change.

“Eric was an easy choice after reviewing his nominations,” said Madison Scott 2L and incoming president of the Student Bar Association. “His fellow students spoke so passionately about his leadership, friendship, and commitment to advocacy.”