UNC School of Law Presents Annual Student Awards

At the end of each academic year, UNC School of Law presents awards to students recognizing writing, leadership, service and practice interest. This year, members of the Class of 2025 received the Bane Outstanding Writing Award, the Coates Rule of Law Essay Award, the Winston Crisp Award for Student Leadership and the Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA) Outstanding Student Award.

Bane Outstanding Writing Award

The Bane Outstanding Writing Award recognizes the importance Carolina Law places on writing. Faculty members nominate papers 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. The writing awards committee consists of Professors Mark Weidemaier, John Conley, Barbara Fedders, and Eisha Jain.

This year’s recipient is Samuel Lahne for his paper, “A Prosecutor Image Mismatch.”

Coates Rule of Law Essay Award

The Coates Rule of Law Essay Award is given to the student that writes the best essay on the rule of law. The winner receives a monetary prize. This award is also evaluated by the writing awards committee of Professors Mark Weidemaier, John Conley, Barbara Fedders, and Eisha Jain.

This year’s recipient is Drew Alexander for his essay titled “When Courts Confront AI: Assessing the Need for AI-Specific Rules.”

Winston Crisp Award for Student Leadership

The Winston Crisp Award for Student Leadership was initiated by the Student Bar Association during the 2005-2006 school year to recognize excellence in student leadership. Winston Crisp ’92 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 Juliana Whittington. Whittington has consistently embodied the values and characteristics of a strong student leader during their time at Carolina Law. They have shown exceptional dedication to the law school community, with their most notable achievement as transforming the Anti-Death Penalty Project (ADPP) from a small organization with just two events into a thriving and impactful student group. Their peers praised their depth of commitment and the significant contributions they’ve made to multiple aspects of the Carolina Law community.

Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA) Outstanding Student Award

Thad Beaver received the annual Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA) Outstanding Student Award. CLEA is the primary national organization dedicated to clinical education in law schools across the country, and the award honors one student or student team at each law school who has excelled in a clinical course. At Carolina Law, the CLEA Outstanding Student Award recipient is selected based on excellence in clinical work, particularly in development of the attorney-client relationship; in case planning and development; efficiency and reliability in time management; polished oral and written communications; overall significance of casework contributions; and contributions to the clinical community at large.