THE HON. LEROY ROUNTREE HASSELL, SR.
WRITING COMPETITION

We are pleased to announce the first annual Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., Writing Competition. The Regent University Law Review is sponsoring this competition to foster and celebrate excellence in legal scholarship among the entire law school student community. The winner will receive a cash prize of $500. Also, the winning paper is eligible for publication in the fall edition of the Regent University Law Review.

RULES

1. Eligibility: Competitors must be law students at Regent University School of Law currently enrolled and in good standing, having completed their 1L year, and possessing at least a 2.5 cumulative grade point average. Submission of a paper, as described below, constitutes entry. Students may enter more than one paper. Current members of the Law Review Editorial Board as of January 1, 2008 may not participate. Current Staff Members of the Law Review may participate.

2. Writing Topic: This year's writing topic is a semi-open topic. Any paper submitted that otherwise complies with the rules will be considered if it is scholarly material of publishable quality that advocates a legal position consistent with the Regent University Law Review mission statement as set forth below:

The Mission of the Law Review is to bring glory to God and to make the character and person of Jesus Christ known through the publication of excellent and principled legal scholarship. The Law Review strives to achieve this mission in the following ways: (1) The publication of well-written scholarship that demonstrates the application of Christian principles to legal issues; (2) the publication of well-written scholarship that benefits the practicing bar; (3) the training of Law Review members in legal writing and editing; and (4) the equipping of Law Review members for effective leadership in the legal community.

Although the Law Review encourages students to consider incorporating biblical principles into their submissions, a paper will not be penalized merely because it does not explicitly include biblical integration.

3.  Submission
            a. Prior to your submission, please email leomles@regent.edu to                 acquire your entry number.

            b. An original paper, five paper copies, and one electronic copy                 shall be submitted. 

            c. The cover page of the original paper and the electronic copy shall                 include the:

1. Title
2. The author's name
3. The entry number
4. Year in law school
5. Signature
6. Email address
7. Current mailing address
8. Phone number
9.  If the paper was written in conjunction with satisfying a rigorous writing experience or other law school requirement, the faculty supervisor should be denoted on the cover page as well.

            d. Only the title and the assigned entry number should appear on the                 cover page of the five paper copies. These will go to the judges who                 will not know the names of the entrants.

            e. The original and each complete copy should be stapled in the top left                 hand corner. Papers should not be submitted in binders.

            f. The title of the paper and page numbering should appear at the top of                 every page.

            g. Form of paper: The paper shall be on white 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper,                 double-spaced, single-sided, and with at least  twelve-point type.                 Margins should be one inch on all sides. Citations must be in footnote                 (not endnote) form, single-spaced, and with at least ten-point type.                 Font shall be Times Roman or Times New Roman. Papers shall not                 exceed 30 pages in length, including citations and appendixes.                 Subject to the foregoing, all citations shall be in law review format                 and in accord with the latest published edition of A Uniform System of                 Citation (a. k. a. "The Bluebook").

           h.  The electronic copy shall be submitted in one file in Microsoft                 Word format and emailed to: leomles@regent.edu. The Law                 Review will acknowledge receipt of the electronic email copy by reply                 email.

             i. The original and the five paper copies shall be submitted to Carol                 Palatini at RH 353 on the deadline date, February 29, 2008.

             j. Any violation of the rules in this paragraph or elsewhere in this notice                 is grounds for disqualification. Entry constitutes certification by the                 entrant that the entrant is eligible to participate and that the paper                 conforms to the rules of the competition.

4. Plagiarism and Copyright: All papers shall be the original work of the individual entrant. The paper must have been started and completed between June 1, 2005 and February 28, 2008. Entrants may consult with others as to ideas, but all writing and editing must be the sole work of the entrant. This paragraph, however, allows the sort of consultation and editing that normally occurs during a professor's direction of a student's rigorous writing experience. The paper may not have been previously published in a law review or similar scholarly journal.

5. Permission to Reprint: The Regent University Law Review shall have the right to copy, reprint, or print all papers submitted. Entrants agree to hold the Law Review harmless from, and to indemnify it from, any and all damages and costs relating to copyright infringement, plagiarism, or similar loss.

6. Judges and Judging Criteria: Papers shall be judged and the scholarship awarded at the sole discretion of the Law Review. The Law Review will perform an initial review and screening of all submissions and forward those of the highest quality to a panel to identify the winning paper. The panel may include a combination of academics, sitting judges, and practicing attorneys. Papers will be evaluated on the basis of conformance to these rules, topic creativity, writing quality and clarity, originality, analysis, and soundness of legal reasoning. The Law Review reserves the right to decline making an award in this competition.

7. Announcement of Winner: The winner will be announced publicly in the Spring of 2008. All entrants will be notified of the results by email. There is one scholarship prize of $500. A check payable personally to the winner will be issued in before the end of the Spring 2008 Semester on a date to be determined by the Law Review. The winner must provide a short biographical entry and digital photograph suitable for media publication. Entry in the competition constitutes the winner's agreement, at the Law Review's discretion, to allow publication of the winning paper in the Regent University Law Review.

8. Deadline and Mailing of Entries: Entries must be postmarked or hand-delivered no later than February 29, 2008 and mailed to:

Leroy Rountree Hassell Writing Competition Regent University Law Review Regent University, School of Law
1000 Regent University Drive Virginia Beach, VA 23464

No acknowledgment of receipt will be made of paper copies, but entrants may use certified mail to obtain proof of receipt. Receipt of electronic copies will be acknowledged as set forth in the rules above. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted. Questions regarding competition rules or entry should be made by email to lawreview@regent.edu.

9. Interpretation/Change of Rules: Disputes over the interpretation of these rules will be resolved in the discretion of the Law Review's Editor-in-Chief. A majority of the Law Review Executive Board may override the Editor-in-Chief's interpretation. The Regent University Law Review reserves the right to modify these rules at any time without notice.