The Paper Chase Legal Writing Competition
The 2026 Paper Chase Legal Writing Competition
November, 2026
Open to J.D. students from any of Texas’s nine non-Baylor law schools, The Paper Chase is a high-stakes, practice-oriented writing competition that tests your analytical and legal writing skills. With a $5,000 grand prize and a challenging problem adapted from real case files, this competition is a chance to put your legal writing skills to the test.
“The Paper Chase offers a unique opportunity for Texas law students to showcase their legal writing talents in a competitive setting,” says Matt Cordon, Director of Baylor Law’s Legal Writing Program.
Baylor Law hosts this competition with support from the Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA), whose members serve as the sole judges of the anonymized entries. Generously sponsored by the Steven and Patricia Haworth Endowed Fund. The Paper Chase invites students from all Texas law schools (except Baylor) to participate.
For more information, visit your school’s Legal Writing department.
Students interested in participating should speak with the legal writing department at their respective law schools.
For questions, please contact paperchase@baylor.edu.
Read About the 2025 Paper Chase Legal Writing Competition
The Paper Chase Legal Writing Competition is sponsored by the Steven and Patricia Haworth Endowed Fund.
