For the first time in the Best Brief Competition’s 22-year history, two pieces tied for first place. The winners for 2024 are Andrew Reed and Kaitlyn Spiegl.

The other finalists -- Allyson Berri, Emma Dzwierzynski and Lindsey Govan -- tied for second place.

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

In the 2024 trial brief problem, students wrote about the “community caretaker” exception to the Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement and whether it applied to the search of a broken-down recreational vehicle. Students represented the state or the defendant in briefing a motion to suppress evidence found during the warrantless search.

Reed represented the defendant, while Spiegl wrote on behalf of the state.

photo of Andrew Reed, Kaitlyn Spiegl, Dean Tokaji
Andrew Reed and Kaitlyn Spiegl pose with Dean Dan Tokaji in his office in November 2024.

Professor Andrew Norman, who taught both winners in the spring, said, “It is hard to imagine either brief losing in front of a real trial court. To say that Andrew and Kaitlyn provided impressive work for first-year law students would understate the quality of their writing. Their winning briefs are impressive by any measure.”

photo of Andrew Reed with Andrew Turner, Dean Tokaji and Andrew Norman
Andrew Reed poses with Professor Andrew Turner, Dean Tokaji and Professor Andrew Norman.
Kaitlyn Spiegl with Andrew Norman, Desmond Wu and Dean Tokaji
Kaitlyn Spiegl poses with Professors Andrew Norman and Desmond Wu and Dean Tokaji.

 

Submitted by Law School News on November 21, 2024

This article appears in the categories: Features, Students

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