LSU Law student Caroline Donze was named one of the 15 winners of the Burton Award for excellence in legal writing at an announcement ceremony on Feb. 20 in Washington, D.C.Donze is the Production Editor for Louisiana Law Review’s Volume 78, and she won the award for her article Breaking the Seal of Confession: Examining the Constitutionality of the Clergy-Penitent Privilege in Mandatory Reporting Law. Donze’s award-winning article can be read here and found in Volume 78, Issue 1 of the Louisiana Law Review.
“The winners are outstanding, highly skilled, and effective writers, and the competition was acutely keen. The Law360 Writing Awards winners have now attained a new and even higher standard of excellence,” William Burton, The Founder and Chair, said
Winners of the Burton Awards are chosen from the nominations submitted by professors at renowned colleges around the country.
“Clear, compelling writing is an essential tool for all lawyers,” Law360, lead sponsor of the Burton Awards, General Manager Scott Roberts said. “Law360 is proud to be associated with these awards, which recognize the best of the best writers in the legal profession. We salute all of the winners and commend them on demonstrating these talents and sustaining such high standards of written excellence.”
Donze will be presented the “Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Awards” at a ceremony at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., on May 21. The program will be followed by a reception, dinner, gala and a performance by Broadway stars Megan Hilty and Stephanie J. Block from the musical Wicked.
The Burton Awards, established in 1999, are funded by the Burton Foundation, a non-profit, academic effort devoted to recognizing and rewarding excellence in the legal profession. The Burton Awards were established to honor the finest accomplishments in law, including writing, reform, public service and interest, regulatory innovation, and lifetime achievements in the profession. The awards are presented by lead sponsor Law360, and co-sponsored by the American Bar Association.
The Academic Board, which reviewed articles published within the past year, was led by Virginia Wise, Chair; Jeanne Merino, Stanford Law School; Lindsay Saffouri, UC Berkeley School of Law, William C. Burton, author and founder of the event; Judge Edward Forstenzer, Superior Court of California (retired); and William Ryan, member of the Department of Homeland Security and former Chair of the White House Plain Language Committee.
