The 2025 Mary Moers Wenig Writing Competition is open!
The 2025 Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition is open. Help spread the word to law students in your network!
1st Prize: 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 2026–2027 academic year (candidates must apply and be admitted as full-time students to be considered for the scholarship), a $5,000 award, publication in the ACTEC Law Journal, and online publication on The ACTEC Foundation’s website.
2nd Prize: A $3,000 award, online publication on The ACTEC Foundation’s website, and possible publication in the ACTEC Law Journal.
3rd Prize: A $1,000 award, online publication on The ACTEC Foundation’s website, and possible publication in the ACTEC Law Journal.
Area and Topics: The paper must relate to the area of trusts and estates, broadly defined. Any one or more of the following topics are appropriate for discussion:
- Business Planning
- Charitable Planning
- Elder Law
- Employee Benefits
- Estate Planning and Drafting
- Fiduciary Accounting
- Fiduciary Administration
- Fiduciary Income Taxation
- Fiduciary Litigation
- Professional Responsibility
- Substantive Laws for the Gratuitous Transmission of Property
- Wealth Transfer Taxation (Estate, Gift, and GST Tax)
Submission Deadline: June 1, 2025
Latest ACTEC Trust and Estate Talk Podcasts
Planning With Directed Trusts
Learn how directed trusts divide trustee responsibilities, the role of trust protectors, and how modern trust design creates flexibility in estate planning while maintaining effective trust administration.
Designing the Modern Single-Family Office: Classic Structure vs. Profits Interest
Learn how modern single-family offices are structured, including classic and profits interest models, tax efficiency, governance, and investment management.
Modern Family Offices and Private Trust Companies: A Creative Use of Purpose Trusts
Modern family offices, private trust companies, and purpose trusts: governance, tax considerations, and legacy planning strategies for ultra-high-net-worth families.


