The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law is pleased to announce Anna-Jamieson Beck, University of North Carolina School of Law, as the winner of the Third Annual CSL Prize in Judicial Clerkship Opinion Writing competition held in conjunction with the Judicial Clerkship Opinion Writing Conference which was held February 23-25, 2023.

The competition was open to all conferees, which consisted of rising clerks who will serve in federal or state appellate court chambers in the coming year. Subsequent to two days of writing instruction from conference faculty, each entrant drafted a short judicial opinion based on a First Amendment problem written by the Columbus School of Law. The entrants were then submitted for judging in a blind competition to the Judicial Clerkship Opinion Writing Conference faculty who also served as the judges of the competition. The competition was based solely on writing criteria.

Beck graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2019, and she will be graduating from University of North Carolina School of Law in May 2023. After graduation, Beck will be clerking for Chief Justice Kate M. Fox of the Wyoming Supreme Court for the 2023-2024 term.

Anna-Jamieson Beck recently reflected on the importance of a conference like the Judicial Clerkship Opinion Writing Conference. She shared, "I initially wanted to attend the Conference because I’m always looking for opportunities to improve as a writer. The Conference lived up to all my expectations, and I found the experience incredibly valuable. From participating in group writing workshops presented by federal appellate judges to getting individualized feedback in a small group setting, the Conference provided me with many useful tips to make my clerkship successful." She also added, "Additionally, it was exciting to meet students and clerks from across the country, and I look forward to following everyone’s careers in the years to come."

Beck was honored that the judges selected her opinion for the CSL prize. She also wanted to thank those that supported her, "I would not be where I am today without the guidance and support of so many. But for the purposes of this competition, I would like to especially thank Judge Jefferson Griffin for giving me the opportunity to practice opinion drafting the summer after my 1L year. If I had not interned in his chambers, I’m not sure I would have discovered how much I enjoy judicial opinion writing or appellate law."  On a more personal note, Beck added, "I would also like to thank my mom for giving me her love of writing."

Beck closed by saying, "Thank you to Professor Harmon and the rest of the Conference faculty for dedicating their time to students and for creating such a wonderful learning experience."