Washburn Law Journal / Moot Court Council / Trial Advocacy Awards Banquet

Washburn University School of Law held its Eighth Annual Washburn Law Journal / Moot Court Council / Trial Advocacy Awards Banquet on Thursday, April 19, 2001 at the Ramada Inn in Topeka. Recognition and awards included:

Photograph: William Nacy (left) receiving GNIP-GNOP Best Note Award from Richard Byrd.
William Nacy (left)
receiving GNIP-GNOP
Best Note Award
from Richard Byrd

The Free Society of GNIP-GNOP
GNIP-GNOP Awards honor the top Note and top Comment published in the Washburn Law Journal during the previous year. Each member of GNIP-GNOP reads the top three student Notes and the top three student Comments, submitted by the Washburn Law Journal. The members then choose the students who, in their judgment, wrote the best Note and Comment. A representative of GNIP-GNOP presents cash awards to the students at the Awards Banquet.

For those interested in the origin of the name, GNIP-GNOP stands for one of the group's two favorite pastimes. It spells 'Ping-Pong' in reverse! The group's other favorite pastime is horseshoes.

Faculty Awards
Approximately fifteen years ago, the Washburn Law School faculty established its own awards for best Note and Comment to complement the GNIP-GNOP awards and to recognize successful completion of the students’ Washburn Law Journal writing experience. The Faculty Law Journal Committee selects the best Note and Comment from those selected for publication. Winners of the award have their names engraved on a plaque permanently on display in the Law School.

Photograph: Jeremy Shull receiving Goodell Award from Richard Hay.
Jeremy Shull
receiving Goodell Award
from Richard Hay

The Lester M. Goodell Awards
Since 1969, the Topeka firm of Goodell, Stratton, Edmonds, and Palmer has sponsored the annual Lester M. Goodell Memorial Intramural Moot Court Competition. This competition is conducted in the fall of each academic year. Initially, the Goodell Award recognized the top oralist in the intramural competition. In 1979, a second award was created to recognize the top brief writer. The name of each recipient is engraved on the Goodell trophies and plaque which are permanently on display at the law school.

Martin, Pringle, Oliver, Wallace & Swartz Awards
Since 1992, the Wichita law firm of Martin, Pringle, Oliver, Wallace and Swartz has sponsored Moot Court members to compete in the Dean Jerome Prince Memorial Evidence Competition held at Brooklyn Law School. The firm underwrites the expenses related to the competition and also provides scholarship awards.

The purpose of the Martin, Pringle Awards is to develop and recognize excellence in the area of appellate advocacy. Each recipient’s name is engraved on a plaque which is permanently on display at the law school.

Photograph: Professor Megan Ballard (left) presenting Kleinheksel Prize to Carolyn Powell; Jeremy Shull and Teri Canfield-Eye are in the background.
Professor Megan Ballard (left) presenting Kleinheksel Prize to Carolyn Powell; Jeremy Shull and Teri Canfield-Eye are in the background

John K. Kleinheksel Prize For Excellence in Oral Advocacy
This endowed prize fund has been established through a gift to the Washburn Law School Foundation from John K. Kleinheksel. The prize is divided among the members of the Moot Court team that achieve the highest final ranking in an interschool competition.

The Order of Barristers Awards
The Order of Barristers is a national honorary organization whose purpose is the encouragement of oral advocacy and brief-writing skills through effective law school oral advocacy programs. The Order seeks to improve these skills through interscholastic sharing of ideas, information, and resources. National recognition for individuals who have excelled in advocacy and service at their respective schools is also provided by The Order. Those services of The Order are particularly important today in light of the increased concern regarding litigation competency recently expressed by leaders throughout the legal profession.

The Order originated in 1965 at the University of Texas School of Law. It became a national organization in 1970. Washburn University School of Law is a charter member of The Order. One hundred and fifty-eight Washburn students and nineteen honorary inductees have achieved The Order of Barristers distinction in the past twenty-three years.

An individual selected to The Order receives the highest honor a law student can attain for distinction in oral advocacy. Since 1973, this honor has been one of the few law school achievements that Martindale-Hubbell recognizes in its biography of lawyers.

2001 Faculty Brief Award
Each year the Moot Court faculty committee selects the top brief written by a Washburn competition team.

Max Rowinsky Award for Outstanding Student
This award honors the late Max Rowinsky, a noted trial lawyer who practiced in the Shawnee and Johnson County Public Defenders Offices. The award is presented to the outstanding student in the current year's Trial Advocacy class.

The American Board of Trial Advocates Award
The ABOTA Award honors Dick Sangster, a 1955 graduate of Washburn Law School. Sangster served on the national board of the American Board of Trial Advocates. The award is presented to a second year law student in the current year's Trial Advocacy class who shows outstanding promise as a trial attorney.

American College of Trial Lawyers of Kansas Award
This award is given to a member of the Washburn Trial Advocacy team for an outstanding performance in an interschool Trial Advocacy competition.

International Academy of Trial Lawyers Award
This award is given to a student who excelled in Trial Advocacy class and also has the highest overall grades in Evidence and Civil Procedure classes.