Ivey Schofield L’25 placed second in the most recent Adam A. Milani Disability Law Writing Competition, an annual program aimed at sparking greater interest in and understanding of the field of disability law.
An Elon Law student with a lifelong passion for storytelling placed second this fall in a national legal writing contest aimed at building student interest in the field of disability law.
Ivey Schofield L’25 was among the top finishers in the 2024 Adam A. Milani Disability Law Writing Competition co-hosted by Mercer University School of Law and the American Bar Association Commission on Disability Rights.
The brief Schofield submitted for consideration was the same brief she crafted in a spring trimester legal writing course taught by Assistant Professor Bob Minarcin: an argument in a fictional lawsuit involving alleged violations of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.
Schofield’s honor carries personal significance. She broke her foot and her back in 2023 while retrieving Christmas decorations from her attic. She navigates the law school today with chronic back pain and a limp that will require another surgery in the months ahead.
“It was an honor to be picked by an organization that focuses on disability rights when I’m dealing with a disability,” said Schofield, a Middlebury College graduate who won awards for her writing at news publications in Washington, D.C., and North Carolina prior to law school. “And I’m thankful for all the help from my professors, especially Professor Minarcin. He dealt with me a lot!”
Entries for the annual Adam A. Milani Disability Law Writing Competition can focus on any of the following topics:
- Disability Law
- The Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
- Age Discrimination in Employment Act
- Family and Medical Leave Act
- A state statute or municipal ordinance prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation
The competition honors the work of the late Professor Adam Milani, an advocate for disability rights, an accomplished legal scholar, and a faculty member at Mercer Law who crafted a national reputation for excellence in scholarship on disability discrimination. Milani was a quadriplegic and died in 2005 of complications from surgery.
