Two Chapman students, Andrew Gahan and Minhquan Nguyen, have won the Golden Quill Award in the Rutan & Tucker Golden Quill Competition. This Legal Research and Writing competition is open to all 1L students and is held each spring semester. Students must submit legal briefs on behalf of a defendant or plaintiff. Andrew wrote the top brief for the plaintiff side and Minhquan wrote the top brief for the defense. The briefs addressed a Title VII question involving (1) whether a transgender plaintiff is protected under Title VII against discrimination “on the basis of sex”; and (2) if so, whether the Defendant had legitimate reasons for terminating the plaintiff or whether the reasons were really pretext for discrimination.

The winners show a solid understanding of contemporary legal issues as well as advanced skills in argumentation. Andrew and Minhquan not only get to add this accomplishment to their resumes, but both will also receive a cash prize generously donated by Rutan & Tucker. Fellow 1L classmates, Dallis Pflueger-Cavallaro and Jonathan Cayton, were also awarded Rutan & Tucker cash prizes in April for their excellence in oral argument in the companion Golden Gavel Competition.