Elizabeth Graff of The University of Texas School of Law Takes Top Prize in Baylor Law School’s Paper Chase Legal Writing Competition
Baylor Law School is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Paper Chase Legal Writing Competition, a challenging, statewide legal writing competition designed by Baylor Law School’s legal writing team to highlight exceptional student advocacy across Texas. To preserve the integrity of the competition and maintain a fully impartial process, Baylor students do not participate.
All submissions were anonymized and evaluated by volunteer attorneys from the Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA), ensuring an independent, unbiased review process. Baylor Law School creates the competition’s writing prompt and administers the process but does not review submissions or select winners.
This year’s problem required competitors to draft a trial brief supporting a motion to disqualify counsel, based on a hypothetical involving a law clerk who changed firms after becoming licensed. The scenario demanded careful application of Texas case law governing firm-switching presumptions and attorney disqualification, testing both analytical rigor and precision in legal writing.
From the highly competitive pool of entries, the following students were selected:
Finalists
1st Place – Elizabeth Graff, The University of Texas School of Law
2nd Place – Kayla Shelkey, The University of Texas School of Law
3rd Place – Beth Ann Baker, The University of Texas School of Law
Semifinalists
Shannon Berry, Thurgood Marshall School of Law
Grant Shellhouse, The University of Texas School of Law
Maria Santos, Thurgood Marshall School of Law
The Paper Chase Legal Writing Competition is generously sponsored by FVF Law, a Texas-based litigation firm founded by Baylor Law alumni Josh Fogelman and Aaron von Flatern. Through its sponsorship, FVF Law supports rigorous legal education and the development of skilled, ethical advocates across Texas law schools.
Baylor Law School congratulates all participants and winners on their outstanding work. Thanks to the sponsorship of FVF Law, the Paper Chase continues to serve as a proving ground for exceptional legal writing and disciplined legal analysis among Texas law students.
