Overview
The ALSA Legal Writing Competition is open to all Auckland law students, divided into two categories. Junior (Part I and Part II) and Senior (Part II.5 and above) each have their own topic list and criteria.
Submissions will be reviewed and marked by someone with experience as a Judge's Clerk. The winning piece is published in the ALSA newsletter, exposing your work to law firm partners, barristers, and practitioners across Auckland. Winners also receive a Winner Spotlight, a personal introduction featured on the ALSA website and social media so the profession can put a face to the work, and a dining voucher.
Submissions closed 30 July 2026. Feedback to the top five submissions by 15 August 2026.
How to Enter
Complete the submission form at the bottom of this page and upload your essay as a Word document (.docx). Your filename must follow this format exactly:
Name-Part-Category.docx
For example: JackNguyen-PartIII-Senior.docx
Resubmissions
Students may improve and resubmit a prior entry in a future round, provided the piece shows substantive development since its last submission. New arguments, sharper analysis, or restructured reasoning are all valid. Resubmissions without meaningful development will not be reviewed.
Eligibility
Students who have won a category in any round within the same academic year are not eligible to enter again until the following year. The competition stays open, and other students get their turn.
The Reviewers
Submissions are reviewed by legal professionals with experience as Judge's Clerks. Junior and Senior category entries are reviewed separately.
This competition is free to enter for all ALSA members.
Francis has experience as a Judge's Clerk and brings that perspective to assessing legal reasoning and argument structure in first and second year submissions.
Angela has experience as a Judge's Clerk and reviews Senior category submissions with a focus on the depth of analysis and quality of legal reasoning expected at Part II.5 and above.
Writing Topics
Write a critical analysis or opinion piece on any legal issue or topic that interests you. The suggested topics below are only a starting point. Include your chosen question in the document. It does not count toward the word limit.
Junior: Part I and Part II
Write a critical analysis or opinion on a legal topic that interests you. Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:
- How does New Zealand incorporate international law into domestic law, and does the current approach go far enough?
- The recognition of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in Aotearoa, New Zealand
- Does the separation of powers in New Zealand adequately prevent the concentration of authority in the executive?
- How has New Zealand law responded to the ongoing effects of colonisation on Māori?
- The principle of legality
- New Zealand's legal response to climate change
- The criminal justice system in New Zealand
Senior: Part II.5 and above
Write a critical analysis or opinion on a legal topic that interests you. Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:
- Does the Accident Compensation scheme represent a fair balance between efficiency and individual justice, or does it unjustifiably extinguish legitimate tort claims?
- Is the intensity of judicial review in New Zealand appropriately calibrated to the separation of powers?
- To what extent, if at all, does the manifest injustice exception undermine the principle of immediate indefeasibility in New Zealand?
- Should New Zealand courts recognise fiduciary obligations in commercial relationships outside traditional categories?
- Is the threshold for economic duress in New Zealand too high to provide meaningful relief?
- Critically evaluate whether s 131(5) of the Companies Act 1993 permits, or obliges, directors to consider wider interests.
- Is the bright line test an adequate substitute for a capital gains tax?
- To what extent does the Property (Relationships) Act 1976's treatment of trusts reflect an adequate judicial response to legislative failure?
Submission Requirements
First round only: you may enter work you have already written. Because this is the inaugural competition, a piece you have written before, such as a course assignment, is welcome, as long as it fits one of the writing topics and the word limit. Track changes from the start is not expected for previously written work this round. From the next round, every entry must be written fresh with track changes on from the first word.
Turn on track changes before you type your first word. It is how we confirm the work is genuinely yours, which is what makes this competition worth winning. For this inaugural round, if you forget we will let you know and give you a chance to put it right. In future rounds it will be strictly required, so it is worth getting into the habit now.
Word Limit
The word limit is 1,500 words. Your chosen question must be included in the document but does not count toward the limit. Everything else, including footnotes, does. No leeway is granted.
Referencing
Every point that draws on a source requires a footnote. Submissions must follow the New Zealand Law Style Guide.
Track Changes
Track changes must be enabled from the moment you start writing, not added at the end. Markers review your writing process, not only the final product.
To enable track changes in Microsoft Word:
- Windows: Click the Review tab → click Track Changes (or press Ctrl + Shift + E)
- Mac: Click the Review tab → click Track Changes (or press Command + Shift + E)
Once enabled, the Track Changes button will be highlighted. Do this before you type your first word.
First round only: because this is the inaugural competition, previously written work is accepted and track changes from the start is not required. If you are writing something new, switching track changes on is the best way to show your process, but you will not be ruled out this round if it is missing. From the next round, track changes from the first word will be a strict requirement, and a submission without it will not be considered. Grammarly, if used, must run inside Microsoft Word, not in a browser.
AI Prohibition
The use of any AI tool is strictly prohibited. This includes generative AI, large language models, writing assistants, and content generation tools of any kind. This competition is a test of your legal reasoning. Work that draws on AI cannot demonstrate that, and it will not be reviewed. Any submission found to contain AI-generated content will be disqualified. ALSA reserves the right to bar the competitor from future rounds.
Penalties
Submissions will not be considered if:
- The essay is submitted after the deadline
- The essay exceeds the word limit
For this inaugural round, if a document does not display track changes from start to finish, we will contact you to resubmit within the round rather than rule it out. In future rounds, missing track changes will mean the submission is not considered.
Grading Criteria
Submissions are assessed holistically. No single criterion is weighted above the others.