Sutin Prize
The Sutin Prize is presented annually to the JURIST volunteer law student or students who best demonstrate outstanding commitment to the organization’s public service mission. The award is named in memory of Anthony L. Sutin (1959-2002), who dedicated his career to public service, legal education, and providing critical access to legal information. Sutin, an election law attorney, worked for the US Department of Justice and at Hogan & Hartson in Washington, DC, before going on to become a law professor at and eventually dean of the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia. He was also the very heart and soul of JURIST’s Bush v. Gore 2000 presidential election recount coverage. Even before the turn of the millennium, he was a great believer in JURIST’s ability to make critical and fast-developing legal issues accessible to a global audience. Tragically, Dean Sutin was killed in a shooting at the Appalachian School of Law in 2002. His widow, Margaret Lawton, very kindly consented to JURIST naming this award for him.
The 2023 recipients of the Sutin Prize are:
Hannah Brem
Sambhav Sharma
Hannah Brem graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in May 2023. She joined JURIST during her 1L year as an associate editor and advanced to news managing editor for her 3L year. Over her three years with JURIST, Hannah had the distinct pleasure of working with law students from the UK, Canada, India, Myanmar, Iran, Kenya, Uganda, and Australia. She was also engaged in Pitt Law’s Immigration Law Clinic and Prison Litigation Practicum and volunteered with the TLDEF Name Change Project, the Allegheny County Bar Foundation Pardons Project, the Abolitionist Law Center Courtwatch Program, and the Allegheny Housing Court Help Desk. After sitting for the bar exam this July, Hannah will work as an eviction defense attorney in New York City.
Sambhav Sharma is a Judicial Law Clerk-cum-Research Associate at the Supreme Court of India. He graduated from Amity Law School, Delhi (IP University), India, in 2022. Over the two years of his association with JURIST, Sambhav has served as an Assistant Editor, Associate Editor, India Chief Correspondent, and finally as the Deputy Dispatches Editor. Sambhav holds JURIST and the work it does in high regard and gives credit to JURIST for allowing him to learn the nuances of legal journalism while also honing leadership skills. He looks forward to witnessing JURIST reach greater heights and wishes the team the best for the future.
JURIST is honored to acknowledge past recipients of the Sutin Prize.
Vishwajeet Deshmukh
Gabrielle Wast
Michael Barber
Tim Zubizarreta
Erin M. Holliday
Autumn Callan
Kelly Cullen
Ram Eachambadi
David Rodkey
Joseph Macklin
Taylor Gillan
Maria Coladonato
Alex Ferraro
Arjun Mishra
Jaimie Cremeans
Sean Gallagher
Clay Flaherty
Dan Taglioli
Dwyer Arce
Josh Sanders
Ingrid Burke
Andrew Morgan
Mark Hamilton
Devin Montgomery
Caitlin Price
Jaime Jansen
Joshua Pantesco
Brett Murphy
Andrew Wood
Jeannie Shawl Award
The Jeannie Shawl Award is presented annually to the JURIST volunteer law student or students who best demonstrate outstanding leadership, innovation, initiative, and selfless dedication to JURIST’s mission. The Award is named for Jeannie Shawl, a member of JURIST’s very first class of law student writers and JURIST’s first-ever Executive Director. Her leadership, initiative, innovative spirit, and selfless dedication transformed JURIST from a limited academic project to an international publisher of legal news and analysis.
The 2023 recipients of the Jeannie Shawl Award are:
Katherine Gemmingen
Akshita Tiwary
Katherine Gemmingen says that throughout her time at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, JURIST was undoubtedly the best part of her experience. “It was such a unique privilege to work with a team of incredible law students across the world. After serving various roles in multiple services across JURIST, I can truly say that JURIST’s team is filled with some of the brightest, most intelligent, and hardest workers I have ever had the opportunity to work with. I am so grateful to JURIST for allowing me to serve as Commentary Co-Manager Editor and then Co-Deputy Executive Editor, and I will cherish my time with JURIST as I move into the next stage of my career.”
Akshita Tiwary is an incoming LLM student at the Graduate Institute, Geneva. She graduated from Government Law College, Mumbai in 2023, and has interned with the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute and with the Chief Justice at the Supreme Court of India. Akshita is passionate about building a career in international law and human rights.
At JURIST, she was one of the very first international law students that joined the organisation in June 2020. During her three-year tenure, she has served as the JURIST India Chief of Staff, the Commentary Co-Managing Editor and the Deputy Executive Editor.
JURIST is honored to acknowledge past recipients of the Jeannie Shawl Award.
Neelabh Bist
Joshua Cossin
Vishwajeet Deshmukh
Gabrielle Wast
Tim Zubizarreta
Erin M. Holliday
Allison Hall
Steven Wildberger
Josh Guckert
Kimberly Bennett
Elizabeth Imbarlina
Julia Zebley
Greg Johnson Collaboration Award
The Greg Johnson Collaboration Award was presented for the first time in 2021. The award is named for Professor Greg Johnson, Director of the Legal Writing Program at Vermont Law School, whose foresight, enthusiasm, and commitment to the greater good of his law students set JURIST on a collaborative multi-institutional and multi-jurisdictional path that in unexpectedly short order made it possible for JURIST to become a worldwide enterprise benefiting a range of law students and readers far broader than anything he or we ever imagined. Today Greg oversees a growing JURIST Chapter at Vermont, coordinating recruiting, being a mentor to students, and helping them organize chapter activities. We are immensely grateful for all he has done for his students and JURIST. As JURIST expands nationally and internationally, collaboration between members of our law student staff becomes more important than ever, not only for successful teamwork but also for building mutual understanding and empathy, as well as relational attitudes and capacities important for truly successful lawyers that we hope will last a lifetime. This award will be presented annually to the member or members of JURIST’s law student staff who best exemplify the collaborative nature and capacity-building initiative modeled by the award’s namesake Greg Johnson.
The 2023 recipients of the Greg Johnson Collaboration Award are:
Lauren Ban
Edgar Odongo
Lauren Ban is an incoming third-year law student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She first joined JURIST as a news writer back in October 2021. This past year she served as the US Bureau Chief, managing and directing all of JURIST’s US staffers. This upcoming year Lauren will serve as JURIST’s News Managing Editor–a role she is excited to take on alongside JURIST’s 2023-2024 staff. “Working with JURIST has been an absolute joy,” said Lauren. “The work our staffers do is truly amazing and has inspired me to pursue a future career in journalism. I have JURIST to thank for so much, but especially the connections I have made over the past few years. I cannot wait to get started with next year’s work!”
Edgar Odongo holds a Bachelors of Law Degree (LLB) from the University of Nairobi (Class of 2022). Edgar graduated as the valedictorian of his class with a First Class Honours! He is currently pursuing his Advocates Training Programme (ATP) at the Kenya School of Law. In his more than two years with JURIST, Edgar has served in diverse capacities including News writing, Commentary, Community Engagement Committee, and as Chief of Staff, Africa. Edgar considers that the JURIST experience was a life-turning moment for him. JURIST offers law students an opportunity to be involved in something that is greater than themselves. JURIST provided him with a sense of purpose. Edgar wishes JURIST all the best for the future.
JURIST is honored to acknowledge past recipients of the Greg Johnson Collaboration Award.
Katherine Gemmingen
Akshita Tiwary
Kristen Doyan
Wohlmuth Awards
Wohlmuth Awards are given annually to select volunteer staff members to recognize extraordinary dedication. The award is named for Paul Wohlmuth, who was a professor at the University of San Diego Law School. Already in the early 1990s, even before JURIST had begun, he was a champion of innovative thinking in the law. Later in the decade, he established the Institute of Law & Systems Research, which was subsequently headed up by his partner Alice Anda and provided JURIST’s first seed funds.
The 2023 recipients of JURIST’s Wohlmuth Awards are:
- Meg Abbott – University of Notre Dame, AU
- Anna Balabina – Ukrainian Catholic University, UA
- Sharon Basch – University of Pittsburgh, US
- Miteau Butskhrikidze – University of Ottawa, CA
- Ciara Dinneny – Law Society of Ireland, IE
- Aynsley Genga – University of Nairobi, KE
- Yael Iosilevich – Tel Aviv University, IL
- Lou Kettering – University of Pittsburgh, US
- JP Leskovich – University of Pittsburgh, US
- James Joseph – Keele University, GB
- Rebekah Yeager-Malkin – University of Pittsburgh, US
- Sophia Richards – University of Newcastle, AU
- Anastasiia Rozvadovska – University of Pittsburgh, US
- Samar Veer – National Law University Delhi, IN
- Aimee Woodmass – Newcastle University, GB
- Marissa Zupancic – University of Pittsburgh, US
Distinguished Alumni Award
JURIST, of course, engages law students while they are in law school, but law students graduate and go on to other things. Or at least that’s what usually happens in most other organizations. JURIST is different, however, in that many of our former law student staffers tend to stick around. In fact, several members of our professional staff and most members of our Board of directors are JURIST alumni. Some alumni continue to write and report for JURIST after they’ve graduated, and others continue to contribute in other ways. Each year, JURIST will recognize a member of our alumni who has gone above and beyond in contributing to JURIST even after leaving law school.
The 2023 recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award are:
Erin Holliday
Ryan Olden
Erin Holliday is an associate attorney for Trellis Legal, LLC, a small, woman-owned transactional law firm in Pittsburgh. She loves working with small businesses and non-profits on their ongoing needs, from those getting started to longstanding operations. Erin graduated from Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and wrote advertising before attending the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and serving as JURIST’s Chief of Staff from 2019-2020. Erin is passionate about connecting future, current, and former JURIST staff from all over the world, and is proud to have begun JURIST’s quarterly newsletter with Ryan Olden. She is so excited to continue to invigorate the organization through networking, educational, and many other opportunities.
Ryan Olden served as JURIST’s Chief of Staff until his graduation from Pitt Law in 2010. Since that time, he has been living in Washington, DC, working in the civil service and building a career in trade policy. Despite the time and distance, however, he never lost interest in JURIST. Today, he is excited to be working with Erin Holliday to further develop the JURIST alumni network and keep all of JURIST’s great talent connected.
JURIST is honored to acknowledge past recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award.
Maeve McDermott