Mary Moers Wenig 2019 Student Writing Competition Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, DC, Sept. 18 2019: The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) Foundation today announced the 2019 winners of the Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition. Five law students were selected among twelve entries received and reviewed by a panel of judges appointed by the Legal Education Committee of the College.

The ACTEC Foundation supports the annual, legal writing competition to encourage law students to create scholarly works in the area of 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 either the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 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 be considered 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. The Competition’s third place recipient is awarded $1,000, online publication on ACTEC’s website and possible publication of their work in the ACTEC Law Journal. Honorable mentions usually receive a $500 cash award. The ACTEC Foundation has awarded more than $134,000 to the competition over 14 years.

The 2019 first place winner, Robert Daily, a second-year law student at the University of Georgia School of Law, said, “I am incredibly honored to win the 2019 Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition. I enjoyed researching and writing about the deductibility of family office investment expenses and am pleased to know that others appreciated it. I hope to continue exploring this topic as I begin my position in September at Ivins, Phillips & Barker, a tax boutique law firm in Washington D.C. I am grateful to the ACTEC Foundation for their time, effort and generous monetary contributions in connection with this competition.”

The 2019 Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition Winners are:

• First Place: Robert Daily — University of Georgia School of Law
  • “The Lender Loophole & the Deductibility of Investment Expenses in Family Offices”
• Second Place: Scott J. Lee — Georgetown University Law Center
  • “The Kaestner Trust Case — Due Process and State Taxation of Non-Resident Trustees”
• Third Place: Ryan F. Bender — New York University School of Law
  • “A Philanthropist Cloaked by Fog — Scofield Thayer and Lessons on Testamentary Capacity”
• Honorable Mention: Alissa Mack — Arizona State University, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
  • “A Review of the Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act: The Good, the Bad and Your Operating Agreement”
• Honorable Mentions: Gabriel Slamovits — New York University School of Law
  • “Cadaver Donations in the Jewish Legal System”

The Mary Moers Wenig Writing Competition is now accepting submissions for 2020. The contest deadline is June 30, 2020. For details visit actecfoundation.org/resources-for-law-students/law-student-writing-competition.

About the ACTEC Foundation:  The ACTEC Foundation is the philanthropic arm of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel or ACTEC. The ACTEC Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) that offers education to 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.

About the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel:  Established in 1949, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, ACTEC, is a national organization of approximately 2,500 lawyers, peer-elected to membership by demonstrating the highest level of integrity, commitment to the profession, competence and experience as a trust and estate counselor. Our members, “Fellows,” are the best and brightest in trust and estate practice, with decades of experience representing and advising families. ACTEC offers technical comments about the law and its effective administration but does not take positions on matters of policy or political objectives.

Contact: Pamela Goldsmith, Pam.goldsmith@actec.org, 202.465.8270

#  #  #