Announcing the Winners of the 2025 RPTE Law Student Writing Competition

Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section of American Bar Association announced the winners of the 2025 RPTE Law Student Writing Competition.

First place: “Nevada’s Blockchain Gamble: Can a State Embracing Web3 Technology Lease Probate Courts into the Digital Age” by Ariel Sweeney, Florida International University.

Second place: “Inheriting the Right to Reclaim: When Copyright Termination Rights Supersede Testamentary Wishes” by Amanda Covaleski, Temple Law.

Third place: “Will of the Voiceless: Aphasia and the Shortcomings of the Testamentary Capacity Doctrine” by Pierson Broadwater, New York University School of Law

The goal of the RPTE student writing contest is to encourage and reward law student writing on the subjects of real property or trust and estate law. The essay contest is designed to attract students to these law specialties, and to encourage scholarship and interest in these areas. Articles submitted for judging are encouraged to be of timely topics and have not been previously published. Information for the 2026 writing contest will be made available soon!

The Section sends a huge thank you to Michael Ostermeyer and the 2025 selection committee: Andrea Boyack, Edward Brading, Keri Brown, James Carey, Birch Douglass, Jeffrey Hopkins, Amy L. Milligan, Robert C. Paul, Michael Sneeringer, and Bruce A. Tannahill. We appreciate the time and thought you put into reviewing the submissions and supporting our law students.