Annual Awards and Honors

Bracewell and Patterson Oral Advocacy Awards Established by the Houston firm in 1988. Twenty-four outstanding first-year oral advocates are selected to receive a check and a certificate.

Mortimer Caplin Public Service Award Established in 1992 by Mr. Caplin, ‘40, the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service under President Kennedy, and given at commencement to a graduating student who is entering a career in the public service sector and who demonstrates the qualities of leadership, integrity, and service to others.

Edwin S. Cohen Tax Prize This monetary prize is given annually to the graduating student who has demonstrated, by the sustained excellence of his or her performance in tax courses, superior scholarship in the tax area.

Hardy Cross Dillard Prize Established in honor of Hardy Cross Dillard, retired Judge of the International Court of Justice and former Dean and James Monroe Professor of Law. This monetary prize and plaque are awarded to the author of the best student note in a current volume of the Virginia Journal of International Law.

Faculty Award for Academic Excellence An engraved julep cup is presented to the student who has had the most outstanding academic record during his or her three years in Law School.

Robert E. Goldsten (‘40) Award Established by the man for whom it is named and given to the student who has, in the opinion of the faculty, contributed the most to classroom participation. The winner receives a certificate of recognition at graduation and a lifetime membership in the University of Virginia Alumni Association.

Eppa Hunton IV Memorial Book Award Established in 1977 by the Richmond, Virginia law firm of Hunton & Williams, in honor of Eppa Hunton IV, ‘27. The award is presented annually to a third-year student who has demonstrated unusual aptitude in litigation courses and shown a keen awareness and understanding of the lawyer’s ethical and professional responsibility.

Margaret G. Hyde Award Established in 1930 by Forrest J. Hyde, Jr., ‘15. Under the terms of the donation, a monetary award is made to an outstanding member of the graduating class whose scholarship, character, personality, activities in the affairs of the school, and promise of efficiency have, in the opinion of the law faculty, entitled him or her to special recognition.

Jackson and Walker Award This monetary award is presented by the Dallas law firm to the student who has attained the highest grade point average in his or her class after four semesters.

Robert F. Kennedy Award for Public Service Established in 1989 by the Student Legal Forum, a monetary award is presented to the graduate who, during his or her Law School years, best exemplifies the ideals of the late Senator Kennedy through active and effective community service.

Herbert L. Kramer Community Service Award Established in 1989 by Mr. Kramer, ‘52. This monetary award is given annually to a third-year student who has contributed the most to the community during his or her stay in Law School.

Law School Alumni Association Best Note Award This monetary award is presented to the member of the Law Review who wrote the best note in the current volume of the Review.

Thomas Marshall Miller Prize Established by Emily Miller Danton in 1982 in memory of her father, Thomas Marshall Miller, who attended the Law School, this monetary award is given annually to an outstanding and deserving member of the graduating class, selected by the faculty.

National Association of Women Lawyers Award This honorary membership in the National Association of Women Lawyers is awarded each year to an outstanding woman in the graduating class.

John M. Olin Prize in Law and Economics A monetary award given by the Olin Foundation to the graduate or graduates who have produced outstanding work in the field of law and economics.

Mary Claiborne and Roy H. Ritter Prizes These four prizes for character, honor, and integrity were established in 1985 by C. Willis Ritter, ‘65 to honor his parents. Under the terms of the award, four monetary prizes are given annually to two female and two male members of the second-year class. The prize is applied against each recipient’s tuition during his or her final year of study. In addition, each recipient is given an appropriate certificate and the names of the winners also appear on a plaque in the library.

Shannon Award Established by the Z Society to encourage outstanding scholarship at the University, the award is presented each year to the student with the highest academic record after five semesters.

Earle K. Shawe Labor Relations Award Established in honor of the late Hardy C. Dillard, by Earle K. Shawe, ‘34. Mr. Shawe is the founder and senior partner of Shawe & Rosenthal, a Baltimore firm devoted exclusively to labor and employment law. This monetary award is given to the graduating student who shows the greatest promise of becoming a successful practitioner in the field of labor relations.

James C. Slaughter Honor Award This monetary award was established by the Textile Veterans Association in honor of James C. Slaughter, ‘51, and is presented to an outstanding member of the graduating class.

Stephen Pierre Traynor Award This award for excellence in appellate advocacy was established in 1970 by the late Roger J. Traynor, former Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court, in memory of his son. The monetary award is presented to the participant in the final round of the William Minor Lile Moot Court Competition who, in the opinion of the judges of the final round, presents the best oral argument.

Roger and Madeleine Traynor Prize Established in 1980 by a gift from retired Chief Justice and Mrs. Traynor of California, these prizes are awarded each year to acknowledge the best written work by two graduating students. Each winner receives an appropriate certificate and a monetary award.

Trial Advocacy Award The Virginia Trial Lawyers Association presents an award to a graduating student who best exemplifies the attributes of an effective trial lawyer.

Virginia State Bar Family Law Book Award Established by the Family Law Section of the Virginia State Bar and the Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, this award is presented to the graduating student who has demonstrated the most promise and potential for the practice of family law.