2025 Sterne Kessler IP Law Writing Competition

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox is excited to announce the third annual Intellectual Property Law Writing Competition. This competition is open to current law students interested in intellectual property law who are enrolled in an ABA-accredited JD program during the fall 2024 semester and expected to graduate in spring 2026, 2027, or 2028. Eligible students are encouraged to submit their entries for consideration. Additionally, law students who participated in our January 2024 competition as 1Ls and did not receive a top-three award are welcome to submit a new entry for the January 2025 competition.

Deadline: We are accepting submissions from December 2, 2024 through January 31, 2025. Your submission must be fully uploaded here by 12:00 p.m. EST on January 31, 2025.

Prizes: We will announce 3 winners and prizes of $10,000 to 1st place, $5,000 to 2nd place, and $2,500 to 3rd place. All 3 winners will be guaranteed interviews for a Summer Associate position or other appropriate position. Winners and prizes will be announced by March 14, 2025.

Rules: To be eligible for a Prize, each applicant must upload:

1. Resume/CV
2. Fall 2024 semester law school transcript (unofficial copies accepted)
3. Original two-part essay (see below)

Essay: Students should prepare an original two-part essay¹:

• Part I (less than 300 words): Prepare a short personal statement, including at least one motivating factor for you in choosing to pursue a career in intellectual property law.
• Part II (400-800 words): Choose a recent decision issued by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (within the last two years) and discuss its immediate and/or potential impact on intellectual property law.
• Essays should be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.

Judging: A judging panel of Directors from the firm, comprised of at least one representative from each practice group, will read and evaluate all entries. The panel will assess clarity, grasp of the legal and technical issues, and originality (e.g., case law selection, reasons for pursuing a career in intellectual property, interest in niche practice areas, etc.). Our four practice groups are the Biotechnology & Chemical Group, Electronics Group, Mechanical & Design Group, and the Trial & Appellate Group.

For questions or further information, please contact Cassandra Kowal at ckowal@sternekessler.com or Heather Molina at hmolina@sternekessler.com.

¹ Use of AI to assist with essay drafting is strongly discouraged.