The August Steinhilber Award

Outstanding Appellate Brief

This award recognizes outstanding brief writing in an appellate court in a case concerning education law. The award is named after August W. Steinbhilber, Jr. (1932-2013), who, as EducationWeek reports, “helped shape education policy as the top federal lobbyist and later the general counsel of the National School Boards Association.” Gus, as he was fondly known, served as the former president of the Education Law Association in 1977.

Purpose

To recognize outstanding brief writing in an appellate court case involving education law. Eligibility An appellate brief filed in court between July 1 of the calendar year preceding the Annual Conference Year and June 30 of the Annual Conference year (e.g., if the conference occurred in 2021, briefs could have been filed in calendar between July 1, 2020 to June 20, 2021). Any ELA member may nominate a brief. In addition, the ELA Steinhilber Awards Committee members may review appellate briefs and select an outstanding brief which has not been formally nominated. This is based on the committee’s discretion. The author(s) need not be ELA member(s). Both amicus curiae briefs and party briefs are eligible.

Criteria

Because ELA is a nonpartisan forum, there will be no bias in favor of or against a particular legal position or party. The award is granted on the basis of merit as determined by the Steinhilber Award Subcommittee of ELA’s Awards Committee.
Criteria shall include: Quality of Writing:

• Including such points as logical structure of argument, paragraphs and sentences; conciseness and clarity; emphasizing the key points; use of headings and quotations.
• Quality of Analysis: including such points as presentation of the theory of the case and its limits; presentation of the doctrinal context; focus on points relevant to the Court; use of precedent; inclusion of relevant authority; discussion of relevance to education.