Second-year law student Ryan Masse has been named winner of the University of Wisconsin Law School=s Legal Research & Writing Best Brief Award for 2008 after a selection process that included review of the submitted briefs by leading Wisconsin practitioners and UW law professors. Masse=s work was selected as the most outstanding of 22 submitted briefs.

The Legal Writing faculty also congratulated this year’s four finalists: Andrew Cumings, Tom Isenbarger, Nathan Otis, Matt Wuest.

The Best Brief Competition at the Law School is now in its fifth year. As in past years, the process leading to selection of the Best Brief Award winner included three separate evaluation stages.  First, the teacher from each Legal Research and Writing section selected the best brief written in that section. These briefs were then reviewed and ranked by a panel of lawyers from the community, who each independently ranked the briefs. The five finalist briefs were then reviewed by a panel of UW law faculty. The briefs are always presented anonymously to the individuals doing the ranking.

Masse’s two legal writing instructors also came in for commendation: Laura Dunek (fall 2007 semester) and Margaret Baumgartner (spring 2008 semester). Masse will be awarded a commemorative plaque in honor of his achievement.

Submitted by on September 24, 2008

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