Lawyers rely on clear, effective writing to inform, advise, and advocate. At Case Western Reserve University School of Law, this skill is central to the Legal Writing, Experiential Learning, Advocacy, and Professionalism (“LLEAP”) program. To recognize the hard work and discipline required to produce exceptional written work, the law school established the LLEAP Awards. These honors are presented annually to students who submit the strongest papers in each LLEAP course.
The LLEAP Awards highlight the dedication, discipline, and energy that students invest in mastering legal writing, while also underscoring the LLEAP program’s high expectations. Matt Salerno, LLEAP co-director and instructor for LLEAP 3 Transactions, emphasized the significance of these achievements. “The LLEAP Awards are a way to celebrate the students’ hard work and showcase the high standards of our legal writing program,” says Salerno.
The Raymond R. November LLEAP Award recognizes first-year students whose written work stands out across the full 1L curriculum. Recipients are selected by the first-year faculty for excellence in their first-year assignments, specifically, their first semester contract and their second semester summary judgment motion. For second-year students, LLEAP Awards are given to those who achieve the highest scores for specific writing assignments in their respective advanced writing courses - LLEAP 3 Litigation and LLEAP 3 Transactions. Selection of the 2L winners is a collaborative effort evaluated by panels of practitioners and judges.
This year, the law school proudly recognizes these members of the Class of 2026 for their outstanding accomplishments in legal writing: Owen Stickney (LLEAP 1), Olivia Jack (LLEAP 2 and LLEAP 3 Litigation), and Atticus Williams (LLEAP 3 Transactions). Their work reflects both technical precision and a strong command of legal analysis and legal writing.
The LLEAP faculty extends its appreciation to the attorneys who contributed their time to evaluate submissions, specifically: Dillon Brown (LAW '21), Hahn Loeser; Rachel Lamparelli (LAW '21), Morgan Lewis; Yelena Boxer (LAW '99), Boxer Law, LLC; and Blake Spiller (LAW '21), Plug and Play. Their feedback reinforces the real-world relevance of the LLEAP program and ensures that student work is assessed against professional standards.
Financial support for the awards is made possible through the generosity of alumni and donors, including Raymond Ronald November (ADL '57; LAW '61, '66), whose contributions fund the first-year prizes. Second-year award recipients likewise benefit from donor-supported recognition. All winners are honored at graduation, marking not only their achievements in law school but also their readiness to carry these writing skills into professional practice.