South Texas College of Law Houston’s team of three recent graduates won the 2024 Scribes Brief-Writing Award by the American Society of Legal Writers, according to a press release. This marks the sixth time STCL Houston has won the award.
The winning team was composed of Joshua Fojtik (’23), of Hicks Thomas in Houston; Madelyn Chidester (’24), of Brown Sims in Houston; and Armon Mehrinfar (’24), of Serpe Andrews in Houston. The team’s award-winning brief was originally submitted for the 31st Annual National Health Law Moot Court Competition at Southern Illinois University in 2022, where it not only won best brief, but also helped the team secure victory in the overall competition, according to a press release.
“This is a fantastic honor,” Rob Galloway, the W. James Kronzer, Jr., Distinguished Professor of Advocacy at STCL Houston, said in a press release. “Out of all the briefs that won moot court competitions around the nation, ours was the best of the best. What a tribute to our legal writing program, our advocacy program, and our hard-working students.”
The Scribes Brief-Writing Award, established in 1996, represents excellence in legal writing among law students nationwide. The selection process is rigorous, including only briefs that have won best brief awards nationally. Submissions are evaluated by a panel of professors, judges, and practicing attorneys, with the top 15 to 20 briefs advancing to the Brief Writing Award Committee for final selection.
Since first entering the Scribes competition in 1999, STCL Houston has accumulated six first-place finishes, 10 second-place runner-up awards, and nine third-place honorable mentions. For more information about STCL Houston, go to stcl.edu.