Winners of the 2024 Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rebecca Vandall 202.465.8270

Washington, DC, November 14, 2024: John T. Rogers, Jr., President of The ACTEC Foundation, and Elizabeth A. Bawden and Gerry W. Beyer, Co-Chairs of the Legal Education Committee of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), are pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition.

FIRST-PLACE WINNER:

Ashley Pyle for “A Toxic Inheritance: Addressing the Legal Implications of Inheriting Hazardous Waste Land”
University of San Diego School of Law

“I am truly honored to be selected as the winner of the 2024 Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition. I am sincerely grateful to The ACTEC Foundation for the opportunity to participate in this competition and to Professor Adam J. Hirsch for encouraging me to submit my paper and for sharing his passion for trusts and estates. I hope my paper inspires discussions on the intersection of trust and estate law with environmental law, and motivates other students to think creatively and share their work.”

SECOND-PLACE WINNER:

McKenzie Paulsen for “Your Digital Life”
Arizona State University, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law

“It is an honor to be awarded second place in the Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition! I am very grateful to my professors, colleagues, and mentors for continuing to deepen my knowledge of trusts and estates. I hope my article will ignite meaningful discussions and inspire new perspectives on the evolving topics of digital assets and inheritance rights.”

HONORABLE MENTION WINNERS:

Jordan Miletti for “Testamentary Freedom and Forced Heirship: Two Sides of the Same Inheritance Coin?”
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law

“I am honored to receive an honorable mention in the 2024 Mary Moers Wenig Writing Competition. I want to thank The ACTEC Foundation for providing this opportunity, the panel of judges for their recognition, and the editors of the ACTEC Law Journal for considering my paper for publication. I would also like to thank Professor Julia Belian for her guidance along the way. I am excited to contribute to the ongoing discussion of balancing testamentary freedom with the protection of family interests. I hope my paper sparks further creative thinking on how to best navigate these competing goals.”

Krystian Seebert for “Upon Further Consideration: The Case for Trusts as Contracts”
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

“I am extremely grateful for ACTEC’s recognition. I similarly owe thanks to those who have mentored me in the trusts and estates field, those who have sparked my curiosity in contract law research, and those who have opened my eyes to the intersections between these two areas of law.”

ACTEC’s Legal Education Committee focuses on the quality and relevance of trust and estate courses offered in law schools, strategies for incorporating skills training into courses, ideas for mentoring new lawyers in estate planning, the role of adjunct professors, and trust-and-estate-related scholarship, case law, statutory law, and current developments. The committee oversees the Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition.

The panel of ACTEC Fellows who served as judges in this year’s competition includes Karen Elizabeth Boxx, Bridget J. Crawford, T. Randolph Harris, Barbara A. Sloan, Carla Spivack, and Douglas (Doug) Stanley.

Submissions came from students attending the following law schools:

• Arizona State University, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
• Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University
• Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center
• New York University School of Law
• Northwestern Pritzker School of Laws
• University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
• University of Florida Levin College of Law
• University of Nevada, Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law
• University of San Diego School of Law

Randolph Harris,who chaired the judging process on behalf of the Legal Education Committee, shares: “This year’s prize-winning entries addressed both traditional and innovative trust and estate issues, each with well-thought-out analysis. Congratulations to our four winners!”

The ACTEC Foundation supports the annual legal writing competition to encourage law students to create scholarly works in trusts and estates. The first-place winner receives a full-tuition scholarship to the Heckerling Graduate Program in Estate Planning at the University of Miami School of Law for the 2025-2026 or the 2026-2027 academic year, a $5,000 cash award and will have their work published in the ACTEC Law Journal. (Candidates must apply and be admitted as full-time students to qualify for the scholarship.) The second-place winner receives a $3,000 cash award, online publication featuring their work on ACTEC’s website, and possible publication in the ACTEC Law Journal.  Each honorable mention is a $500 cash award.

About The ACTEC Foundation: The ACTEC Foundation is the philanthropic arm of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). The Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), that promotes scholarship and education for families and professionals and supports students interested in the trust and estate area of the law. Through continued financial support, The ACTEC Foundation offers professional development, scholarships, and education for a number of important efforts, including legal education, educational support, public initiatives, legal publications and the student editorial board for the ACTEC Law Journal.

About The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC): Established in 1949, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) is a national, nonprofit association of approximately 2,500 lawyers and law professors from throughout the United States and abroad. ACTEC members (Fellows) are peer-elected on the basis of professional reputation and expertise in the preparation of wills and trusts, estate planning, probate, trust administration, and related practice areas. The College’s mission includes the improvement and reform of probate, trust and tax laws and procedures and professional practice standards. ACTEC frequently offers technical comments with regard to legislation and regulations but does not take positions on matters of policy or political objectives.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rebecca Vandall 202.465.8270

Washington, DC, November 14, 2024: John T. Rogers, Jr., President of The ACTEC Foundation, and Elizabeth A. Bawden and Gerry W. Beyer, Co-Chairs of the Legal Education Committee of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), are pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition.

FIRST-PLACE WINNER:

Ashley Pyle for “A Toxic Inheritance: Addressing the Legal Implications of Inheriting Hazardous Waste Land”
University of San Diego School of Law

“I am truly honored to be selected as the winner of the 2024 Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition. I am sincerely grateful to The ACTEC Foundation for the opportunity to participate in this competition and to Professor Adam J. Hirsch for encouraging me to submit my paper and for sharing his passion for trusts and estates. I hope my paper inspires discussions on the intersection of trust and estate law with environmental law, and motivates other students to think creatively and share their work.”

SECOND-PLACE WINNER:

McKenzie Paulsen for “Your Digital Life”
Arizona State University, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law

“It is an honor to be awarded second place in the Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition! I am very grateful to my professors, colleagues, and mentors for continuing to deepen my knowledge of trusts and estates. I hope my article will ignite meaningful discussions and inspire new perspectives on the evolving topics of digital assets and inheritance rights.”

HONORABLE MENTION WINNERS:

Jordan Miletti for “Testamentary Freedom and Forced Heirship: Two Sides of the Same Inheritance Coin?”
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law

“I am honored to receive an honorable mention in the 2024 Mary Moers Wenig Writing Competition. I want to thank The ACTEC Foundation for providing this opportunity, the panel of judges for their recognition, and the editors of the ACTEC Law Journal for considering my paper for publication. I would also like to thank Professor Julia Belian for her guidance along the way. I am excited to contribute to the ongoing discussion of balancing testamentary freedom with the protection of family interests. I hope my paper sparks further creative thinking on how to best navigate these competing goals.”

Krystian Seebert for “Upon Further Consideration: The Case for Trusts as Contracts”
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

“I am extremely grateful for ACTEC’s recognition. I similarly owe thanks to those who have mentored me in the trusts and estates field, those who have sparked my curiosity in contract law research, and those who have opened my eyes to the intersections between these two areas of law.”

ACTEC’s Legal Education Committee focuses on the quality and relevance of trust and estate courses offered in law schools, strategies for incorporating skills training into courses, ideas for mentoring new lawyers in estate planning, the role of adjunct professors, and trust-and-estate-related scholarship, case law, statutory law, and current developments. The committee oversees the Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition.

The panel of ACTEC Fellows who served as judges in this year’s competition includes Karen Elizabeth Boxx, Bridget J. Crawford, T. Randolph Harris, Barbara A. Sloan, Carla Spivack, and Douglas (Doug) Stanley.

Submissions came from students attending the following law schools:

• Arizona State University, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
• Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University
• Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center
• New York University School of Law
• Northwestern Pritzker School of Laws
• University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
• University of Florida Levin College of Law
• University of Nevada, Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law
• University of San Diego School of Law

Randolph Harris,who chaired the judging process on behalf of the Legal Education Committee, shares: “This year’s prize-winning entries addressed both traditional and innovative trust and estate issues, each with well-thought-out analysis. Congratulations to our four winners!”

The ACTEC Foundation supports the annual legal writing competition to encourage law students to create scholarly works in trusts and estates. The first-place winner receives a full-tuition scholarship to the Heckerling Graduate Program in Estate Planning at the University of Miami School of Law for the 2025-2026 or the 2026-2027 academic year, a $5,000 cash award and will have their work published in the ACTEC Law Journal. (Candidates must apply and be admitted as full-time students to qualify for the scholarship.) The second-place winner receives a $3,000 cash award, online publication featuring their work on ACTEC’s website, and possible publication in the ACTEC Law Journal.  Each honorable mention is a $500 cash award.

About The ACTEC Foundation: The ACTEC Foundation is the philanthropic arm of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). The Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), that promotes scholarship and education for families and professionals and supports students interested in the trust and estate area of the law. Through continued financial support, The ACTEC Foundation offers professional development, scholarships, and education for a number of important efforts, including legal education, educational support, public initiatives, legal publications and the student editorial board for the ACTEC Law Journal.

About The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC): Established in 1949, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) is a national, nonprofit association of approximately 2,500 lawyers and law professors from throughout the United States and abroad. ACTEC members (Fellows) are peer-elected on the basis of professional reputation and expertise in the preparation of wills and trusts, estate planning, probate, trust administration, and related practice areas. The College’s mission includes the improvement and reform of probate, trust and tax laws and procedures and professional practice standards. ACTEC frequently offers technical comments with regard to legislation and regulations but does not take positions on matters of policy or political objectives.

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