Recent WashULaw graduate Elena LeVan was selected to receive the Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Award. Fifteen law students were selected by Burton Awards’ academic board for this prestigious honor. According to the academic board, award recipients are selected based on having written “legal articles that demonstrate creativity, knowledge, and know-how. Winners have displayed a true understanding and mastery of the law and their writing must be clear, cogent, and concise.”
Professor Ann Shields nominated LeVan for the award based on Levan’s Note, published in the Washington University Law Review, “Fruit of the Poisonous Tree: Potential Protections for Inmates Subject to Sexual Victimization in the Post-Dobbs World.”
On May 20, Levan received the award at the Burton Awards, which are held annually at the Library of Congress. In addition to the student awards, thirty attorneys from the nation’s largest law firms were recognized for their excellence and achievements in legal writing.
Levan reflected on this memorable night saying, “It was a beautiful awards ceremony. We heard from Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch, Idina Menzel performed, and there was a full orchestra playing during the cocktail reception. I met many of the other law student winners and we all had a wonderful dinner and evening together.”
Original source can be found here.