The Best Brief Competition is an annual event that recognizes outstanding legal writing by first-year students. The Legal Analysis, Advocacy, and Writing (LAAW) faculty select the best briefs written by their students for the spring semester trial brief assignment. The winner is chosen in a two-step process, first by a panel of Wisconsin attorneys and then by a panel of law school faculty.

For the Spring 2025 Best Brief Competition, the LAAW professors chose 20 students' trial briefs.  The semi-finalists are Yasmeen Asfoor, Justin Barham, Mikayla Bird, Ellie Dellenbach, Conor Green, Isabelle Hoffman, Alyssa Laufenberg, Ariel Leykin, Prescott E. Miller, Lucia Pechloff, Leslie Rapp, Eric Roman-Binhammer, Will Schwegel, Erin Seifert, Emily Smith, Sarah Stout, Dallas Tilley, Lillian VanHandel, Charlie Wied, and Stella Yang Zhang.

Congratulations to this year's Best Brief semi-finalists!

Recent Winners

2024 Best Brief Winners - Andrew Reed and Kaitlyn Spiegl

For the first time in the competition's 22-year history, two briefs tied for first place. 

Winner stands together with their professors and the dean.
LRW I Professor Andrew Turner, Winner Andrew Reed, Class of 2026, Dean Daniel Tokaji, and LRW II Professor Andrew Norman.
Winner stands together with their professors and the dean.
LRW II Professor Andrew Norman, LRW I Professor Desmund Wu,
Winner Kaitlyn Spiegl, Class of 2026, and Dean Daniel Tokaji.

2023 Best Brief Winner - Amber Renee Quinlan

A group photo showing the 2023 Best Brief winner, Amber Renee Quinlan, standing with professors and the Law School Dean in front of a bookshelf. LRW I Professor Andrew Norman, LRW II Professor Ashby Fox, Winner Amber Renee Quinlan, Class of 2025, and Dean Daniel Tokaji.

  

2022 Best Brief Winner - Nicholas Surprise

Dean Daniel Tokaji, Winner Nicholas Surprise, and LRW Professor Ashby FoxLR&W II Professor Ashby Fox, Winner Nicholas Surprise, Class of 2024, and Dean Daniel Tokaji.  (Not pictured:  LRW I Professor Kim Peterson.)

2021 Best Brief Winner - Jacob Aaron Neeley

Dean Daniel Tokaji, Winner Jacob Neeley, and LRW Professor Ashby Fox Dean Daniel Tokaji, Winner Jacob Aaron Neeley, Class of 2023, and LR&W II Professor Ashby Fox.  (Not pictured:  LRW I Professor Alison Stites.)

 

Previous Winners

2010-2020 Winners

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