GTLA Announces Return of 7^th Amendment Scholarship Essay Competition

Atlanta, GA – The Georgia Trial Lawyers Association has announced that, due to the overwhelming response received in 2014, the first-of-its-kind 7^th Amendment Scholarship Essay Competition will return for its second year in 2015. Created to recognize college-bound high school seniors who exhibit a keen awareness of the societal and judicial value of the 7^th Amendment Right to Trial by Jury and Georgia’s Civil Justice System, the Scholarship Essay Competition asks applicants to apply their knowledge of the 7^th Amendment to a real-world situation. This year, students will be asked to address the following question:

The Right to Trial by Jury is often viewed as “The Great Equalizer,” allowing individuals and small businesses the opportunity to hold the powerful accountable on a level playing field in a court of law. Our country is safer today as a result of Americans having stood up to wrongdoers and powerful corporations who have produced unsafe products and automobiles, knowingly sold lethal prescription drugs, maintained hazardous workplace environments, and so much more.

In the past 100 years, which landmark case(s) do you believe has had the most profound effect on the well-being of American citizens and consumers? In your answer, be sure to expand on the role that access to an open and independent judiciary played in the long-term outcome of the case.

“Based on the overwhelmingly positive response to last year’s Inaugural 7^th Amendment Scholarship Essay Competition, we are thrilled to once-again offer this opportunity to college-bound students all across Georgia,” remarked Emily Wring, Executive Director of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association. “This year, the Essay Competition is focused on applying the students’ knowledge of the immense value of the Right to Trial by Jury to real-world situations that have helped to shape our country, and we are looking forward to showcasing the impressive work of this year’s winners.”

To apply for the 7^th Amendment Scholarship Essay Competition, interested parties should submit their completed application and essay to the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association no later than Friday, April 24^th, 2015. A $1,000 Grand Prize and $500 First Runner-Up will be awarded, and the recipients will be notified in May 2015. Each one-time scholarship is not renewable, and checks will be issued jointly to the educational institution and the recipients.

For more information on the Scholarship Essay Competition and to view the 2015 Application, please visit www.gtla.org/scholarship.

To view the 2014 7^th Amendment Scholarship Grand Prize Award Winning Essay, In Defense of the 7^th Amendment by James Berrigan, in its entirety, please visit: www.gtla.org/docDownload/669877.

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About GTLA: Founded in 1956, the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association (GTLA) is dedicated to strengthening and upholding Georgia’s Civil Justice System and protecting the rights of Georgia citizens and consumers.