Third-year law student Matt Borcas has won the Ohio State Bar Association’s 2023 Litigation Writing Award. The annual award recognizes a law student for outstanding writing on a litigation-related topic. On Tuesday, March 21, the bar association presented Borcas with a $2,500 check at the law school; he will also be recognized in an upcoming Ohio Bar publication.
The Litigation Writing Award competition is open to any student currently enrolled in an Ohio accredited law school. Students’ submissions are based on a writing prompt. This year’s prompt asked whether a federal judge must declare a “prevailing party” under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 54(d)(1) and award attorney’s fees and costs in a breach of contract case that essentially ended in a tie: a jury found for the plaintiff on the defendant’s claims and for the defendant on the plaintiff’s claims. In his signature style—crisp, clear, and engaging—Borcas concluded that the court did not need to declare a prevailing party or award attorney’s fees and costs to either party.
Borcas’ dedication to excellent writing has earned him other awards and recognition over the last three years: he won the 2022 Dunmore Moot Court Competition Best Brief award and the 2022 Law Review Note of the Year award, and he has earned the top grade in all three of his LLEAP classes and in Appellate Practice. Earlier this month, Borcas competed in the American Bar Association’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition in San Francisco. He and his teammates, Andrew Thompson and Rebecca Singer-Miller, advanced to the fourth of five rounds.
After graduating in May, Borcas will serve as a law clerk to Judge Solomon Oliver, Jr., in the Northern District of Ohio. He will then join BakerHostetler’s Cleveland office as an associate.