Stanford Law School (SLS) students have been on a winning streak, with ten students winning awards from five different organizations. Through their exemplary work and scholarship, these SLS students have been honored by the Stanford Alumni Association, American Society of Legal Writers, Robert Half Legal and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, the Western Society of Criminology and ComplianceNet.

2019 Community Impact Award 

Cynthia Amezcua, JD ‘19, Avi Bakshani, JD ‘19, Zachary Bleckner, JD ‘19, Nicholas Defiesta, JD ‘19, Jasmine Miller JD ‘19, and Summer Wall, JD ‘19 (Pictured below with fellow awardees)

The Stanford Alumni Association recently recognized undergraduate and graduate students with their 2019 awards, including the 2019 Graduate Student Community Impact Award. Thirty-five graduate students were named winners of the award, including six Stanford Law School students: Cynthia Amezcua, JD ‘19, Avi Bakshani, JD ‘19, Zachary Bleckner, JD ‘19, Nicholas Defiesta, JD ‘19, Jasmine Miller JD ‘19, and Summer Wall, JD ‘19. 

The Community Impact Award is presented annually by the Stanford Alumni Association to graduate students who have fostered a sense of enthusiasm and belonging among fellow graduate students. Students are recognized for their exemplary leadership of a student organization, creation of an event or program, or other unique campus contribution.

Scribes Law Review Award 

Joe Demott, JD ‘18 

On April 12, Joe Demott, JD ‘18, was honored with the 2019 Scribes Law Review Award at the Scribes CLE and Awards Program in Washington, D.C. at the Law Library of Congress, for his note, “Rethinking Ashe v. Swenson from an Originalist Perspective,” in which he analyzed whether Ashe is consistent with the original meaning of the Double Jeopardy Clause.  

The award is presented annually by Scribes, the American Society of Legal Writers, to the best student-written law review note. Student submissions are first sent to law professors for initial judging, and then the top 10 articles go before the Scribes Law Review Award committee, where each submission is read and judged based on its topic, quality of writing and thoroughness of research.

Robert Half Legal and MCCA Scholarship 

William Tanner Allread, JD ‘21

On April 18, Robert Half Legal and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) named William Tanner Allread, JD ‘21, as the Robert Half Legal Scholar and a member of MCCA’s Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship Program, Class of 2021. 

“Tanner’s passion for social justice issues, combined with his demonstrated commitment to leadership and academic excellence, serve as important building blocks for a successful legal career,” said Jamy Sullivan, executive director of Robert Half Legal, in a press release. “We take great pride in having the opportunity to partner with MCCA to support remarkable students like Tanner as they seek to fulfill their legal career goals.”

MCCA’s Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship Program seeks diverse students interested in a corporate law career and diversity and inclusion issues. Program recipients receive a $10,000 award to use towards law school expenses and have the opportunity to work with MCCA leaders and mentors for ongoing professional development and help securing a paid internship position with corporate law departments during the summer following their first year of law school.

Honorable Mention by the Western Society of Criminology 

Itay Ravid, JSD Candidate

JSD Candidate Itay Ravid was awarded an honorable mention for the 2018-2019 Miki Vohryzek-Bolden Student Paper Award by the Western Society of Criminology (WSC) for his paper True Colors: Crime, Race and Colorblindness Revisited, a longitudinal study analyzing the media’s colorblind coverage of crimes.

“The Committee found the study important and interesting, and appreciated the depth of [Itay’s] insight into the well meaning but superficial efforts to erase race from the context of crime reportage,” said the WSC Awards Committee, during the presentation of the award. “We found [Itay’s] empirical work thorough and sound and appreciated the interesting discussion of the implications of the study.”

Junior Scholar Publication Award

Doron Dorfman, JSD Candidate

On June 4,  Doron Dorfman, JSD ‘19, was awarded the Junior Scholar Publication Award in the Field of Compliance at the Second Annual ComplianceNet Conference for his paper Suspicious Species: Assistance Animals and Visible Signs of Compliance, in which he explores how suspicion concerning fake service animals affects the legal system and lives of service dogs’ handlers. 

The award is presented annually by ComplianceNet and is meant to recognize the exemplary scholarly work of junior faculty, post-docs, graduate students and other practitioners with less than eight years of experience post-Ph.D. completion.