LAW STUDENT WRITING COMPETITION

Do you have the "write" stuff?    

ELIGIBILITY   
Authors must be a full-time student pursing a law degree or a new graduate (2026 semester) from the University of British Columbia, University of Victoria or Thompson Rivers University, and a member* of the Trial Lawyers Association of BC.   

*Student membership to TLABC is free of charge. Not a member? Join here: www.tlabc.org/join  
 

THEME FOR 2026
Identify a Canadian case decided between 1 January 2025 and the present that captured your attention. The case may come from any level of court in Canada. In your essay, you should:

• briefly describe the facts and identify the central legal issue(s);
• discuss the decision’s influence or broader implications, such as its impact on the law, public policy, legal practice or society more generally; and
• offer your perspective on why this case stands out among recent Canadian decisions.
   

PRIZE   
The winner will receive $500, and their submission will be published in the Fall 2026 issue of the Verdict magazine and on the TLABC website.
The winner will be announced and celebrated on Trial Lawyers’ social media channels, as well as in the monthly membership newsletter.   
 

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION   
Papers must be submitted by email by 5:00 pm PT on MONDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2026 to editor@tlabc.org  

Submissions will be judged by members of the Verdict Editorial Board and the New Lawyers Planning Committee based on clarity of analysis, depth of insight, and the strength of the author’s engagement with the case. All submissions will be judged anonymously.   

RULES

1. Papers must be author’s original and unpublished work. Papers (and revisions of papers) previously submitted for academic credit are eligible. Papers previously published or originally prepared for professional development courses are not eligible for competition.  
    
2. Word count: 2,500-word maximum (not including citations or end notes)  
    
3. Submissions must be in Microsoft Word file format (.doc or .docx) and double-spaced. Endnotes are to be used (not footnotes).   
    
4. Include author’s name, email address and mailing address.   
    
5. If selected for publication, the author will be asked for a 100-word biography and high-resolution headshot for print.  
    
6. The editorial team reserves the right to edit the winning submission for style or clarity. Edits will be sent to the author for review and approval prior to publication.      
    
7. Use of any Artificial Intelligence in the writing process is strictly prohibited.   
    
8. Copyright: Material published in the Verdict will be copyrighted to the Trial Lawyers Association of BC/the Verdict magazine. TLABC shall have the sole and exclusive right, in Canada and for a period of five years, to print and publish as it deems appropriate. If the submission is not selected as the winning entry for publication, rights revert automatically to the contributor. 
    

the Verdict STYLE GUIDE

SPELLING & STYLE  
We follow the Canadian CP Style Manual. The Canadian Oxford Dictionary is the authority on spelling. All manuscript formatting and spelling should therefore reflect this. In general, the Verdict strives for a minimal amount of formatting. This means:   

Acronyms  
If you are using an acronym that is not well known, spell out the full name in the first reference with the acronym in parentheses. Then use the acronym or a short form of the full name in all subsequent references. Do not use periods.

Example A: Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia (TLABC) publishes the Verdict quarterly. TLABC was established over 40 years ago. 
Example B: KC not K.C., ICBC not I.C.B.C., PhD not Ph.D., BCSC not B.C.S.C.., BC not B.C.

Abbreviations  
An abbreviated word is followed by a period:
Versus = v. 
Salutations = Dr., Mr., Mrs.

Apostrophes   
In cases where the noun ends in an "s" use a single apostrophe after the "s."   
Example: Plaintiffs’ attorneys should note…  

Capitalization
Capitalize all proper names, trade names, government departments and agencies of government, names of centres, departments, faculties, universities, associations, companies, clubs, religions, languages, nations, races, places and addresses. Otherwise lower case is favoured where a reasonable option exists. Upper case slows down the readability and comprehensibility of a sentence.  

Commas
In a series, place commas after each item but not before the final “and”:  
Example: Pens, pencils and paper.  

Endnotes/Footnotes  
Keep endnotes to a minimum. Do not use footnotes.

Italics
All Acts must be italicized.
Example: The Family Compensation Act  

All cases must be italicized and separated by a roman lower case “v.”   
Example: Woods v. Smith  

The word “held” when referring to judgments should be capitalized and italicized.    
Example: HELD  

Names
All individuals after being introduced by full name are referred to in references by surname not given name.   

Example: “Smith says” not “John says.”   

Exception: member profiles and columns.  

Numbers
Write out numbers one to nine.  

Example: one, two, three etc. The same goes for first. . .ninth. Write numbers 10 and up as numerical figures.       

Example: 3,500, 26, 99th, 10th  
When the number is four digits or longer, separate with commas rather than spaces or periods.   

Example: 100,000 not 100 000 or 100.000  

For large numbers, it is better to use words or a combination of words  and numbers.   

Example: Write 1.4 million rather than 1,400,000.  
For the plural of numbers, including decades, do not use an apostrophe before  the "s."   

Example: The 1960s were exciting.   

Sentence Spacing  
One space between sentences.  

Underline & italics  
Do not underline. Use italics for emphasis within the body of the article.