The ACTEC Foundation Announces Mary Moers Wenig 2022 Student Writing Competition Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, DC – The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) Foundation today announced the 2022 winners of the Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition. Three law students’ submissions stood out among 16 entries received and reviewed by a panel of judges appointed by the Legal Education Committee of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). ACTEC Fellow T. Randolph Harris, who chaired the judging process, said, “Because of the high quality of the papers this year, the judges had a difficult task selecting the winners.  The late Professor Wenig, after whom the competition is named, would be proud.”

The 2022 Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition Winners are:

FIRST PLACE WINNER:

Morgan Wahler
“The Problem of Charitable Trust Enforcement: Addressing the Insufficiencies of the Attorney General System and Proposing New Law Reform”

University of San Diego School of Law

“I am overwhelmed with gratitude to be selected as the winner of the 2022 Mary Moers Wenig writing competition. Thank you to the editors and staff of the ACTEC Law Journal for their consideration in selecting my article. I am also grateful to my professor at the University of San Diego, Adam Hirsch, for encouraging me to enter the competition. I hope my article will spark a conversation about enforcement schemes at the drafting stage of charitable trusts to prevent instances of abuse of trust,” said Wahler.

SECOND PLACE WINNER:

Vincent Ferry
“A Pandemic of Planning: Form Wills and Online Estate Planning in the Era of Coronavirus”

Maurice A. Dean School of Law at Hofstra University

“I am thankful to be awarded second place in the 2022 Mary Moers Wenig writing competition. I am grateful to the ACTEC Law Journal editors and staff for selecting my article. I hope it can contribute to the conversation about online form Wills and their effect on the field of estate law after Covid,” Ferry said.

THIRD PLACE WINNER:

Jasmine Sadeghani
“Heir(ing) on the Side of Caution: Are Intestacy Laws Too Strict for Posthumous Children Seeking to Inherit Social Security Benefits?”

Pepperdine Caruso School of Law

“It is an honor to be awarded third place of the 2022 Mary Moers Wenig Writing Competition. I appreciate the panel of judges that took the time to read my work, and I hope that my article will provide an important contribution in the conversation about posthumous children and their inheritance rights,” said Sadeghani.

The ACTEC Foundation supports the annual legal writing competition to encourage law students to create scholarly works in the area of trusts and estates. The first-place winner receives a full-tuition scholarship to the Heckerling Graduate Program in Estate Planning at the University of Miami School of Law for the 2022-2024 or 2024-2025 academic year, a $5,000 cash award and will have their work published in the ACTEC Law Journal. Candidates must apply and be admitted as full-time students to qualify for the scholarship. The second-place winner receives a $3,000 cash award, online publication — featuring their work on ACTEC’s website —and possible publication in the ACTEC Law Journal. The competition’s third-place recipient is awarded $1,000, online publication on ACTEC’s website and possible publication of their work in the ACTEC Law Journal. Honorable mentions usually receive a $500 cash award.

About the ACTEC Foundation: The ACTEC Foundation is the philanthropic arm of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel or ACTEC. The ACTEC Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) that offers education to families and professionals and supports students interested in the trust and estate area of the law. Through continued financial support, The ACTEC Foundation offers professional development, scholarships and education for a number of important efforts, including legal education, educational support, public initiatives, legal publications and the student editorial board.

About the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel: Established in 1949, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, ACTEC, is a national organization of approximately 2,500 lawyers, peer-elected to membership by demonstrating the highest level of integrity, commitment to the profession, competence and experience as a trust and estate counselor. Our members, “Fellows,” are the best and brightest in trust and estate practice, with decades of experience representing and advising families. ACTEC offers technical comments about the law and its effective administration but does not take positions on matters of policy or political objectives.

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