The CBA Small, Solo and General Practice Section has established an annual law student essay contest. The objectives of the contest are to promote and reward interest in small, solo, and general practice in Canadian law schools, specifically focusing on the vital role these practitioners play in providing access to justice in Canada.
Criteria and eligibility
The award is presented annually for the best scholarly paper received by the submission date on a subject relating to the impact of small, solo and general practice on legal issues in Canada. Full-time university students currently enrolled at a Canadian law school at an undergraduate or graduate level are eligible to enter.
Submission guidelines
- Must be no longer than 30 pages, including references (12-point Times New Roman double-spaced, excluding the title page and bibliography).
- Must address a theme of significance in Canadian small, solo, and general practice. Potential topics include, but are not limited to “Contributions of small firm lawyers to national legal changes”, and “The ongoing importance of small and solo practices in ensuring access to justice in Canada”.
- Must be appropriately referenced; all referencing methods in the legal field will be accepted.
- May be written in English or French
- Must be researched and written by one author and must be the author’s own original, unpublished work.
- A brief abstract (max. 250 words) must also be submitted.
Papers will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Originality
- Theoretical or practical value
- Clear thesis statement and a sound argumentative thread
- Proper structure with a clear introduction and conclusion
- Prose clear and free of jargon
- Creativity and persuasiveness
Papers written in the context of a course or written specifically for this competition will be accepted. However, we encourage students to be selective in their submission and only send papers of outstanding quality.
The author will grant the CBA the non-exclusive right to produce, reproduce and publish and sell the work (as part of the CLE materials available to be purchased on the CBA website). The CBA will acknowledge in any publication the authorship as noted in the work. The author authorizes the CBA to make minor revisions that the CBA may judge necessary for the purpose of such publication. The author warrants that the appropriate acknowledgement has been given and written consent obtained for quotes or extracts from other sources, and that, except as noted, the work is original and its use and publication by the CBA will not expose the CBA to any claim or liability for breach of confidence or copyright.
Deadline for submissions
April 26, 2026
Entries received after the deadline will not be considered.
Plagiarism policy
Submissions must not infringe the intellectual property rights of others and must not plagiarize another’s work. Plagiarism is deliberately presenting the ideas, expression of ideas or work of others as one’s own. Plagiarism includes reproducing or paraphrasing portions of someone else’s published or unpublished material, regardless of the source, and presenting these as one’s own without proper citation, reference or required permissions to the original source. The CBA reserves the right to assess all submissions for content that potentially infringes on or plagiarizes the work of another and will disqualify any candidate who submits such content.
Policy statement on the use of generative AI in essay contest submissions
The use of generative AI tools to create any content for essay contest submissions is strictly prohibited. The Canadian Bar Association (CBA) reserves the right to review all submissions for compliance with this policy. Any candidate found to have submitted content generated by generative AI will be disqualified from the contest.
Contact
CBA Sections
Phone: (613) 237-2925 or
Toll Free: (800) 267-8860
E-mail: General.practice@cba.org
Selection process
- Individuals must submit their own papers for consideration, together with their full name, address, telephone and email address.
- Papers will be evaluated by a jury of 3-5 members, including members on the executive committee.
- The selection committee may decide not to offer an award in any one year.
Award and presentation
The winner will receive a $500 cash award and a certificate and in years offered, complimentary registration to the Section’s CPD event.
The top submission will be announced on the Section’s webpage and through Section and CBA communications as appropriate.
Award Winners
- 2026 – Winning Paper to be determined