Hope Blain (JD ’19) and Amy Hudack (JD ’19) have been awarded the 2017 Rutan & Tucker Golden Quill award. The prestigious award recognizes “top briefs” for the plaintiff and the defendant in the annual first-year Legal Research and Writing competition.

Blain, representing the plaintiff, and Hudack, representing the defendant, explored whether an employee accused of sexual harassment was protected against retaliation after participating in an EEOC investigation and whether the supervisor’s discipline of that employee amounted to severe and pervasive retaliatory harassment.  A panel of practicing attorneys reviewed the top briefs to select the winners, who will each receive a certificate of honor and a monetary award sponsored by Rutan & Tucker.

“The Rutan & Tucker Golden Quill competition was especially tough this year with several excellent briefs from the students,” said Legal Research and Writing Associate Professor Stephanie Lascelles. “We are grateful to the panel of practicing attorneys who carefully reviewed these briefs to select the winners. We are also very appreciative that the sponsoring firm, Rutan & Tucker, is so supportive of our program and provides these students with the recognition they deserve.”

Blain was also the recipient of the 2017 Rutan & Tucker Golden Gavel Award, which is given annually to students who are the “best oralists” in the first-year oral argument competition. This year’s competition was the first time in recent memory that a student has won top honors for both the oral and writing elements.

Blain and Haduck follow in the footsteps of last year’s Golden Quill winners, Kristin Kovacich (JD ’18) (prosecution) and Lance Ning (JD ’18) (defense).