Ariel A. Leykin is the winner of the 23rd Best Brief Competition. Her brief was selected as the best trial brief written for the Spring 2025 Legal Analysis, Advocacy, and Writing course. In addition to Leykin, the finalists included Mikayla Bird, Eric Roman-Binhammer, Will Schwegel and Stella Zhang. 

The Best Brief Competition is an annual event that recognizes outstanding legal writing by first-year students. The Legal Analysis, Advocacy, and Writing faculty select the best trial briefs written by their spring semester students. A panel of Wisconsin attorneys evaluates the semi-finalists' briefs, and then a panel of Law School faculty evaluates the finalists' briefs to choose the winner.  

Leykin wrote a trial brief on behalf of the defendant, a Milwaukee law firm, in a suit brought by a senior associate. The case required students to address two issues under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

"Ariel's brief showcases the skilled storytelling and reasoning we see from the best legal writers," said Professor Dustin Brown, who taught Leykin in the fall and spring. "Ariel depicted the big corporate defendant as the good guy that bent over backwards to accommodate a disappointing employee. Her brief would make it easy for a judge to rule for her client — and clearly the Best Brief judges agreed! I'm thrilled to see Ariel receive this well deserved recognition."

Submitted by Law School News on November 20, 2025

This article appears in the categories: Features, Legal Research & Writing, Students

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