More than two dozen academic achievement and leadership awards were presented to graduates at the commencement of the University of Maine School of Law, held Saturday, May 26 at Merrill Auditorium in Portland.
The awards were presented by Associate Legal Writing Professor Sara Wolff, who served as chair of the Awards Committee.
AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENT
Maine Law Outstanding Scholastic Achievement Awards
These awards recognize outstanding academic performance in selected areas of the Maine Law curriculum. The award winners are selected from among those graduating students nominated by Maine Law faculty for academic excellence and achievement in the select area of law.
Commercial Law Award
Ariel Pardee
Corporate/Business Law Award
Matthew Kenneth Simone
Criminal Law & Criminal Procedure Award
Alec Nicole Youngblood
Environmental Law Award
Casey Elizabeth Webster
Family, Juvenile & Elder Law Award
Carolyn Ann Liegner
Health Law Award
Bonnie Lynn Ball
Immigration Law Award
- Joann Bautista
- Sara Paulya Cressey
Information Privacy Law Award
Ariel Pardee
Intellectual Property Law Award
Joseph Adam Greene
International Law Award
Kelsey C. Doane
Maritime and Oceans & Coastal Law Award
Ishtiaque Ahmed
Tax Law Award
Nathan Alexander Thistle
American Bankruptcy Institute Medal of Excellence
This award, sponsored by the American Bankruptcy Institute, is awarded to a member of the graduating class for excellence in the study of bankruptcy law.
Matthew Kenneth Simone
Awards in Legal Writing and Oral Advocacy
Wernick Prize for Legal Writing
This award is presented for the best legal scholarship submitted by a graduating student anytime during his or her 1L, 2L, or 3L years, selected from among nominated legal scholarship.
Michael G. Walker
For: Tax Increment Financing in Maine
Upper Level Writing Project Award
This award is presented for the best Upper Level Writing Project by a graduating student for work submitted in either the 2L or 3L years, selected from among nominated upper level writing projects.
Brook Catherine Kolarich
For: Playing with Fire: Drone Incursions into Wildfire Suppression Operations and the Regulatory Challenges to Reducing Their Risks
Clinical Legal Education Award
This award is presented to a student nominated by the clinical faculty for excellence in clinical fieldwork based on ethical and high-quality representation provided to clients and the community, and for exemplary thoughtfulness in exploring lawyering issues and skills in an accompanying seminar.
Barrett Alan Littlefield
Faculty Award for Trial Advocacy
This award is presented to a graduating student for outstanding performance in trial advocacy courses.
Grant Stephen Whelan
Gignoux Award for Appellate Advocacy
This award is presented to a graduating student(s) for demonstrated excellence in appellate advocacy skills through moot court, clinical practice, or other curricular or extracurricular programs.
Shannon Marie Flaherty
AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO THE LAW SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY
The following awards are presented to members of the graduating class for outstanding contributions in service of the Law School and the community.
Faculty Award for Community Service
This award is presented to the graduating student who, in the estimation of the faculty, has done significant work in bringing together the law school community and the community at large.
- Isaac Paul McMahan
- Noel Elizabeth Sidorek
Maine State Bar Association Pro Bono Student Award
This award is presented to the graduating student whose law-related service to the community, without compensation or education credit, exemplifies the legal profession’s tradition of pro bono service.
Nigel A. Stevens
National Association of Women Lawyers Outstanding Law Student Award
This award is presented to the graduating student, male or female, who has:
- Contributed to the advancement of women in society
- Promoted issues and concerns of women in the legal profession
- Exhibited motivation, tenacity, and enthusiasm
- Demonstrated high academic achievement
- Earned the respect of the Maine Law community
Hanni Henriikka Pastinen
Edward S. Godfrey Leadership Award
This award is presented to the graduating student(s) who, in the estimation of the faculty, has made the most significant contribution to a student-edited law journal during his or her years at the law school.
Isaac Paul McMahan
The Diana DeJesus Student Bar Association Distinguished Service Award
Awarded by the SBA to a member of the graduating class for contributions to the Law School. The award is named for Diana DeJesus, a member of the class of 2013, because of her work on behalf of the student body and her superior service to the Law School community.
- Joann Bautista
- Nona Elizabeth Gillis
AWARDS OF OVERALL ACHIEVEMENT
In this final category of awards, the awards are for outstanding overall achievement during the students’ years at Maine Law.
ALI CLE Scholarship and Leadership Award
This award is presented to a student in the graduating class who “best represents a combination of scholarship and leadership.”
Bonnie Lynn Ball
Faculty Significant Achievement Awards
This award is presented to those members of the graduating class whose academic performance and overall contribution to the school have been most significant.
- Katie Josephine Bressler
- Cyrus Endymion Cheslak
- Nicole Lynn Mason
- Casey Mitchum Olesen
- William J. Wahrer
Faculty Scholastic Achievement Award
This award is presented to the member of the graduating class who has achieved, over the course of three years of legal studies, the highest academic average.
Joshua Thomas Avery
Maine Law Foundation Alumni Award
This award is presented to the member of the graduating class who, in the estimation of the faculty, is an outstanding member of the graduating class.
Sara Paulya Cressey