Stanford Law Students Earn Academic and Community Awards

2018 Graduate Student Community Impact Award: The Stanford Alumni Association

The Stanford Alumni Association recently recognized undergraduate and graduate students with their 2018 awards, including the 2018 Graduate Student Community Impact Award. The award was given to 34 graduate students, including four Stanford Law School students: Faaris Akremi, Stevie Degroff, Adrienne Pon and Katherine Takakjian. The award recognized graduate students who have enhanced the Stanford community through exemplary leadership of a student organization, creation of an event or program or other unique campus contributions. Faculty and staff nominated students who have fostered a sense of enthusiasm and belonging among fellow grad students.

Stanford Law Students Achieve Several Awards in 2018 School Year
Faaris Akremi, Stevie Degroff, Adrienne Pon, and Katherine Takakjian

Distinguished Legal Writing: The Burton Awards

Stanford Law Students Achieve Several Awards in 2018 School Year 2
Doron Dorfman, Gerald J. Lieberman Fellow

On May 15, at an event at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., Doron Dorfman, Gerald J. Lieberman Fellow and Lecturer at the Handa Center for Human Rights and International Justice, Stanford University, and JSD Candidate, SLS, received the Burton Award for “Distinguished Legal Writing.”

The Burton Awards, a non-profit program run in association with the Library of Congress, Law360, and the American Bar Association, selected 10 law school students for the annual “Distinguished Legal Writing” award. Award winners were chosen from nominations submitted by professors at renowned colleges around the country and all displayed a true understanding and mastery of the law with writing that is clear, cogent and concise. Doron’s research paper, “Re‐Claiming Disability: Identity, Procedural Justice, and the Disability Determination Process” that won the Burton Award was also cited 14 times by the Hon. Carlton W. Reeves, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, in Boatner v. Berryhill and in a New York Times article titled “When a Colleague Takes a Parking Space for People With Disabilities.”

SLS students have also won the Burton Award for writing for the previous three years:

  • John Hamilton, JD Class of 2017
  • Michael Todisco, JD Class of 2016
  • Kerrel Murray, JD Class of 2014

Alexander Hamilton Award for Most Improved Chapter: The Federalist Society

Stanford Law Students Achieve Several Awards in 2018 School Year 1
2017-2018 Stanford Law Federalist Society

The SLS chapter of the Federalist Society (FedSoc) worked to encourage viewpoint diversity at the law school in 2018, including organizing more than forty public events. The chapter presented perspectives on the most pressing legal and policy issues of our day, including topics such as affirmative action in university admissions, civil asset forfeiture, and immigration reform. At a FedSoc event this spring, the chapter members (pictured above) were recognized by the national FedSoc organization as an important and growing chapter.

Community Leadership Awards for 2018: Stanford Law School

New this year, SLS established the Community Leadership Award to be presented annually to a student from each class (first-year, second-year, third-year, and advanced degree) who has made outstanding contributions to enhancing the SLS community. The award was established to honor students for:

  • Advancing and improving diversity and inclusion within the community
  • Building bridges across disparate communities
  • Expanding and encouraging service activities by members of the Stanford Law School community
  • Providing substantial personal or academic assistance to peers, or otherwise strengthening the quality of the student experience and helping build the capacity of the school to prepare students to serve as leaders in a diverse nation and world

Students may be nominated by other students, faculty, staff, or can be self-nominated.

2018 SLS Community Leadership Award Winners:

  • Ola Abiose, JD Class of 2020
  • Biola Macaulay, JD Class of 2019
  • Savannah Fletcher, JD Class of 2018
  • Tomer Treger, LLM Class of 2018