John “Jack” Ring of George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School tied for second place in the Judicial Clerkship Opinion Writing competition held in conjunction with the 2024 Judicial Clerkship Opinion Writing Conference (JCOW) held from February 22 to 24, at The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.

After studying business law at Tulane University, graduating in 2017, Ring entered the workforce before returning to law school. “I took a few legal classes as a business law major at Tulane that were taught in a law school format,” he remarked in a statement to Catholic Law. “I instantly enjoyed the issue spotting and problem-solving aspects of the law that I experienced in these classes. My experiences in those classes convinced me to come back to law school.”

Ring will graduate from George Mason in May 2024, after which he will clerk through the 2024-2025 term for the Honorable Eleni M. Roumel of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Upon the completion of his clerkship, he will join the Washington, D.C. office of Latham & Watkins.

In his statement, Ring reflected on the importance of conferences like JCOW. “The conference provided such a unique opportunity to discuss legal writing and receive direct feedback on my writing from the faculty judges, which I was able to incorporate immediately into my writing,” he wrote. “In addition to writing, the conference helped me better understand how I can be the best clerk for my judge and, eventually, how to be the most persuasive advocate for my clients.”

On his selection as a second place finalist of the writing competition, Ring credited his family—specifically his wife, Kelly—and his closest law school mentors—including George Mason legal writing professor Mary Tang—with being ever present cheerleaders as he works toward his Juris Doctor degree. He also thanked Catholic Law professor A.G. Harmon, Associate Dean of Bench and Bar Programs, who was pivotal in organizing JCOW since its inception.

“I applied to the conference because I am always looking for ways to improve my writing,” Ring reflected, in closing. “The opportunity to hear from and discuss writing with a variety of some of the judiciary’s best writers was more than I could hope for or expected. I learned so much from the faculty that I wish I could come back next year to try to absorb more.”

Click here to learn more about the Judicial Clerkship Opinion Writing Conference.