2021-2022 Award Winners
Each year Northwestern Pritzker Law awards a variety of student awards and prizes including writing prizes, academic grade-based prizes, and community awards. Congratulations to the recipients.
Student Graduation Awards
It is a beloved graduation tradition for the graduating class to nominate and vote on the winners of the annual Student Awards, which recognize students for a range of accomplishments.
Courage Award
Awarded to the student who has shown the greatest courage in surmounting obstacles to completing his or her education
Olga Cosme Toledo
Global Legal Profession Award
Awarded to the LLM student who has most exemplified standards of professionalism and has made the greatest contribution to the global legal profession
Vinicius Hercos da Cunha
Leadership Award
Awarded to the student who has made the greatest contribution to leadership in the student community
Varun Lella
Legal Profession Award
Awarded to the student who has made the greatest contribution to professional responsibility and to the practice of law
Marissa Jackson
Service Award
Awarded to the student who has shown the greatest dedication and commitment to public service and the practice of law
Rodrigo Anzures-Oyorzabal
Victor Rosenblum Award
Awarded to the LLM student who has done the most to uphold the traditions of the Law School
Laura Camila Grisales Pena
Wigmore Key
Awarded to the student who has done the most to uphold the traditions of the Law School
Grace Herndon
(on behalf of all the members of the Class of 2022 Graduation Committee)
Academic Prizes
Northwestern Pritzker Entrepreneurship Prize
Awarded to a second- or third-year law student who most exemplifies Northwestern Pritzker Law’s spirit of innovation, entrepreneurial drive, and integrity
Michelle Hunt (JD '22)
Fall 2021Blair Matthews (JD '22)
Spring 2022John Paul Stevens Prize for Academic Excellence
Awarded annually to the law student who graduates with the highest GPA in their class
Victor Hiltner (JD '22)
Rivers Casino Criminal Justice Award
Awarded to a law student who has demonstrated exemplary work in the Bluhm Legal Clinic through the representation of underserved individuals
Elisabeth Logan (JD '22)
The David S. Ruder Prize
Awarded to a student who intends to work in the public interest post-graduation, or after a judicial clerkship, and has logged the highest number of public service hours at the finish of their 2L year
Clarissa Galaviz Lizarraga (JD' 23)
Raoul Berger Prize
Awarded annually to the law student who submits the best paper in the Senior Research Program
Rex Alley (JD' 22)
for his paper "Roads Not Taken: Institutional Litigation under the Federal Tort Claims Act"Leigh B. Bienen Prize
Awarded to the student who has written the best note or comment that has been selected for publication in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology
Jordan Martin (JD ’22)
for her paper "Breonna Taylor: Transforming a Hashtag into Defunding the Police"Charles Cheney Hyde Prize
Awarded biennially to the law student who writes the best paper related to public international law
Jordan Krieger (JD' 23)
for his paper entitled "Section 338: A Powerful Relic of the Tariff Act of 1930 and Its Potential Constraints"Kirkland & Ellis Scholars
The Kirkland & Ellis Scholars program was established in 2012 through the generosity of alumni and friends at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. The annual awards recognize the excellence of the top student in each section of the first-year substantive required classes. The program also extends to the highest achieving 2Ls in certain upper-level courses, including M&A, Securities and Non-ITA Evidence.
Fall 2021
Andrew Feinstein (JD-MBA ’24)
Civil ProcedureAbhishek Jai Dalal (JD ’24)
Civil ProcedureAlexandra Bryski (JD ’24)
Civil ProcedureMary Zakowski (JD ’24)
Civil ProcedureRyan O'Sullivan (JD ’24)
ContractsElijah Gelman (JD ’24)
ContractsAbraham Kohn (JD ’24)
ContractsYeju Hwang (JD ’24)
ContractsJonathan DeVries (JD-MBA ’24)
Criminal LawZachary Barron (JD-MBA ’24)
Criminal LawRaffaele Triggiano (JD ’24)
Criminal LawJared Rhiner (JD ’23)
EvidenceMarian Woznica (JD ’23)
EvidenceAnthony Khilkov (JD ’23)
Mergers & AcquisitionsDavid Kruger (JD ’23)
Private EquityRyan O'Sullivan (JD ’24)
PropertyAbigail Kuchnir (JD ’24)
PropertyMichael Beirne (JD ’23)
Securities RegulationDuncan Ranslem (JD ’24)
TortsRachel O'Sullivan (JD-PhD ’24)
TortsAbigail Kuchnir (JD ’24)
TortsSpring 2022
Kathleen Naccarato (JD ’24)
Constitutional LawVrinda Agarwal (JD ’24)
Constitutional LawRaffaele Triggiano (JD ’24)
Constitutional LawAmra Saric (JD-MBA ’24)
Constitutional LawArianna Hall (JD ’24)
Criminal LawAnthony Khilkov (JD ’23)
EvidenceCaleb Linton (JD ’23)
EvidenceJack Baumruk (JD ’23)
Mergers & AcquisitionsJoel Forsstrom (JD ’24)
PropertyLeo Jaehyun Soh (JD ’24)
PropertyAlice Preminger (JD ’23)
Securities RegulationAndres Fonseca Jr. (JD ’24)
TortsLowden-Wigmore Prizes
The Lowden-Wigmore Prizes were established by the Frank O. Lowden (Class of 1887) in honor of his relationship with Dean John Henry Wigmore. The prizes are awarded annually to members of the student body for their ability to marshal authority, present arguments effectively in written form, and speak lucidly and convincingly in public. These awards go to students for the best written contributions to each of the Law School's legal journals as well as the final round Moot Court participants.
Journal Prizes
Cate Baskin (JD '22)
"Empowering Women’s Land Rights as a Climate Change Mitigation Strategy in Nigeria"Journal of Human Rights
Alvaro Cure Dominguez (JD '22)
"Maximizing Social Welfare Through the Tailoring of Patent Duration and Using Algorithms to Calculate Optimal Duration"Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property
Amanda Gvozden (JD '22)
"Fetal Protection Laws and the “Personhood” Problem: Toward a Relational Theory of Fetal Life and Reproductive Responsibility"(second place contribution to JCLC)
Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology
Wafa Junaid (JD '22)
"Forced Prison Labor: Punishment for a Crime?"Northwestern University Law Review
Kara Kurland (JD '22)
"With Unanimity and Justice for All: The Case for Retroactive Application of the Unanimous Jury Verdict Requirement"Journal of Law and Social Policy
Kristi Lew (JD '22)
"This Must Be Our Place: Protectionism and Foreign Investment in Kazakhstan's Farmland"Journal of International Law and Business