Third-year law student Matt Borcas has won the Ohio State Bar Association鈥檚 2023 Litigation Writing Award. The annual award recognizes a law student for outstanding writing on a litigation-related topic. On Tuesday, March 21, the bar association presented Borcas with a $2,500 check at the law school; he will also be recognized in an upcoming Ohio Bar publication.
The Litigation Writing Award competition is open to any student currently enrolled in an Ohio accredited law school. Students鈥� submissions are based on a writing prompt. This year鈥檚 prompt asked whether a federal judge must declare a 鈥減revailing party鈥� under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 54(d)(1) and award attorney鈥檚 fees and costs in a breach of contract case that essentially ended in a tie: a jury found for the plaintiff on the defendant鈥檚 claims and for the defendant on the plaintiff鈥檚 claims. In his signature style鈥攃risp, clear, and engaging鈥擝orcas concluded that the court did not need to declare a prevailing party or award attorney鈥檚 fees and costs to either party.
Borcas鈥� dedication to excellent writing has earned him other awards and recognition over the last three years: he won the 2022 Dunmore Moot Court Competition Best Brief award and the 2022 Law Review Note of the Year award, and he has earned the top grade in all three of his LLEAP classes and in Appellate Practice. Earlier this month, Borcas competed in the American Bar Association鈥檚 National Appellate Advocacy Competition in San Francisco. He and his teammates, Andrew Thompson and Rebecca Singer-Miller, advanced to the fourth of five rounds.
After graduating in May, Borcas will serve as a law clerk to Judge Solomon Oliver, Jr., in the Northern District of Ohio. He will then join BakerHostetler鈥檚 Cleveland office as an associate.