February 12, 2025
Family Law Section Announces Fourth Annual Writing Competition
The Virginia State Bar Family Law Section (“Family Law Section”) and the Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (“AAML”) are co-sponsoring the fourth annual writing competition open to second- and third-year law students attending Virginia and Washington, D.C., law schools.
The winning entry will be published in the Virginia Family Law Quarterly. The Quarterly is the official publication of the Virginia State Bar Family Law Section, and distributed to approximately 2,000 Virginia judges, lawyers and professors. The top entry will be awarded a cash prize sponsored by the AAML of $1,000.
The top entry (or entries) will also receive a plaque from the Family Law Section commemorating their achievement, which will be presented at the Virginia State Bar Annual Advanced Family Law Seminar in Richmond in April 2025.
This year there are three suggested topics for entries: 1) Whether post-separation adultery should be considered adultery for purposes of awarding spousal support and property distribution; 2) Whether a parent’s marijuana usage should be considered negatively in custody and visitation cases; and 3) Whether or not a party should be able to file for a no-fault divorce prior to the current one-year separation period.
In the event you would like to write on another topic, your topic must be preapproved, or it will not be considered. Entries must be no longer than 2,500 words. Entries longer than 2,500 words will not be considered. All entries should be sent to the email address below no later than March 16, 2025. The winning entries will be determined in the sole discretion of the five-person panel made up of members of the AAML, the Family Law Section Board of Governors, and the editor of the Quarterly.
Send entries, questions, or requests for topic approval to VSB Family Law Section Board Member Kristen Kugel, at [email protected].