For the second year in a row, an Indiana University Maurer School of Law student has been recognized as one of the best law school writers in the country.
Anneli Kawaoka, a 3L from Naperville, Ill., is one of 15 law students selected to receive a 2024 Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Award for her note “Psychedelic Drugs & The Prior Art Problem,” which was published in the Indiana Law Journal’s Winter 2023 edition.
The writers are selected by the Burton Awards, a national nonprofit program run in association with the Library of Congress, presented by Law360, and co-sponsored by the American Bar Association.
Kawaoka is one of only two Big Ten law students selected for this year’s honors, to be presented May 20 in Washington, D.C.
Her note examined the conflict between the growing use of psychedelic drugs as a treatment for certain mental health conditions and the lag in approval for psychedelic-related patents with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.
Indiana Law Journal Editor-in-Chief John Vastag recognized the high quality of legal writing and analysis.
“Anneli’s note took a complex area of intellectual property law and offered her readers an exceptionally comprehensive and concise explanation that was understandable by everyone from a layperson to an expert,” Vastag said. “And she connected that to especially salient social and legal issues like the growing movement to legalize psychedelic substances and the mental health crisis. Her note was also technically superb and she herself represents the best writership of the Indiana Law Journal as she also serves as our executive notes and comments editor.”
William Burton, founder and chair of the awards program, said this year’s honorees were outstanding.
“The recipients are truly exemplary, skillful, and effective writers,” he said. “The highest standard of excellence in legal writing.”
Virginia Wise, formerly of Harvard Law School; Kristen K. Tiscione, Georgetown Law Center; Lindsay Sturges 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, comprised the Academic Board charged with reviewing this year’s entries.
Morgan York, a 2021 graduate of the Law School, was honored in May 2023 for work published in the Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies.
“It is so rewarding to see the writing skills of our students recognized at a national level,” said Indiana Law Dean Christiana Ochoa. “This honor is not only a testament to Anneli’s exceptional skill, but to the high quality of our legal research and writing program.”