Morgan York was in her third and final year at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law when she published an article in the Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies.
Two years later, she’s being recognized as one of the country’s top law school writers.
York published “I Just Took a DNA Test—Turns Out, I’m 100% Breaching my Donor Anonymity Contract: Direct-to-Consumer DNA Testing and Parental Medical Decision-Making” in 2021. On June 12, she’ll be one of 25 recipients of a “Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Award” at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. The awards are run by Burton Awards in association with the Library of Congress, presented by Law360, and co-sponsored by the American Bar Association.
“The winners are truly exemplary, technically skilled and effective writers,” said William Burton, founder and chair of the awards program. “The authors have set a new and even higher standard of excellence.”
York, now an associate at Golan Christie Taglia in Chicago, is one of a select group of former law students recognized nationally. Ordinarily law students are recognized about a year after they graduate, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, nominations were accepted from students who graduated even earlier.
York’s winning work, “I Just Took a DNA Test…” offered a brief history of assisted reproductive technology and its increased use throughout the world, illustrating the growing number of donor-conceived children and the related importance of knowing genetic information. York also surveyed regulations concerning donor anonymity in the United States and the United Kingdom to illustrate different jurisdictions’ approaches to the regulation of donor anonymity, as well as an analysis of direct-to-consumer DNA testing.
Indiana Law Legal Research and Writing Program Director Sophia Goodman said the editors of each of the Law School’s journals selected their best published notes for nomination consideration. York’s stood out, she said, because of its clear, cogent, and concise writing focusing on a timely topic.
The Academic Board, which reviewed submissions, was led by Chair Virginia Wise, formerly of Harvard Law School; Kristen K. Tiscione, Georgetown Law Center; Lindsay Struges Saffouri, UC Berkeley School of Law; William C. Burton, Founder and Chair of the event; and William Ryan, former member of the Department of Homeland Security and Chair of the White House Plain Language Committee.
The Maurer School of Law’s Legal Research and Writing Program was ranked 31st nationally by U.S. News & World Report in its Best Graduate Schools 2023 edition.