BLS Library Blog

This is International Education Week at Brooklyn Law School!  On Thursday, November 20, at lunchtime, there will be a lively panel discussion on the topic of international careers. Speakers will be: Amy Hsieh, Adjunct Professor of Clinical Law & Executive Director of the Public Service Law Center (BLS), Elizabeth Gradinger, Associate Director of BLS Career & Professional Development (BLS), and Michael Khorsandi ('06), Vice President, Trade and Regulatory Counsel at Ross Stores. These speakers will provide information about various career paths, in both the private and public sectors, available to students interested in international law. Librarian Jean Davis will make available an updated international opportunities handout (which will also become available to all BLS students through BLSConnect on this BLS Career Center page under heading: International Law). There will also be a Book Giveaway!  Looking forward to seeing you at this panel on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 12:45 pm in room 502.  

Please also view BLS Library's digital book display for International Education Week at https://guides.brooklaw.edu/digital_book_displays/international_education

Also, this is the season for law student writing competitions!  If interested, please monitor: https://guides.brooklaw.edu/writing_competitions (updated regularly).

Upcoming law student writing competitions of possible interest include:

2025 National Security Law Writing Competition 

• Sponsor: Air Force Judge Advocate General’s School
• 2025 Competition Topic: Employing and Defending Against Drones in the Contemporary National Security Environment
• 2025 Competition Format requirements include:  "Original and Previously Unpublished Papers" " Entries must be a minimum of 4,000 words and a maximum of 7,000 words, including footnotes"
• Eligibility requirements in 2025 Competition include: "The competition is open to all U.S. and international law school students and graduates."  "Members of the faculty of AFJAGS shall not participate in the contest or review any entry on behalf of an entrant."
• 2025 Competition Prizes: First Place – Cash prize of $3,000; Second Place – Cash prize of $2,000; Third Place – Cash prize of $1,000.  "Winners are free to independently seek public publication in The JAG Reporter or a law review or journal of their choice.  AFJAGS will post the winning papers internally on the Knowledge Management section of FLITE."
• Deadline for submission: "Entries must be submitted by 1630 Central Time on 21 November 2025."

International Refugee Law Student Writing Competition (annual)

• Sponsors: American Society of International Law (ASIL), Global Migration Centre, ASIL Academic Partner Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, International Law Students Association (ILSA), International Journal of Refugee Law & Oxford University Press.
• Topic in current Competition: "Papers may address any topic related to international law and refugees, stateless persons, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and/or forced displacement.  Particular consideration will be given to papers authored by people who have experienced forced displacement and to student scholars in the global south."
• Format in current Competition: "Papers must be written solely by the candidate in English."  "Submissions may range from 7,000 to 12,000 words, including footnotes."   
• Eligibility requirements include: "Student authors must have been enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program at an accredited university in 2025."
• Prize: "The winner of the International Refugee Law Student Writing Competition will receive complimentary admission to the 2026 ASIL Annual Meeting, to be held in Washington, DC, from April 22-25, 2026; a complimentary one-year student membership provided by ASIL; and a £300 book credit with Oxford University Press.  If the winner subsequently chooses to submit the paper to the International Journal of Refugee Law, it will be promptly reviewed by the Editorial Board and independent reviewers.  If deemed suitable for publication, the Board will work with the winner with a view to bringing the paper forward to publication.  The award will be formally presented at the 2026 ASIL Annual Meeting.  To enable the winner to attend the ASIL Annual Meeting, the Global Migration Centre at ASIL Academic Partner Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies Geneva will contribute up to 400 Swiss francs toward travel expenses."
• Deadline for submission: "The deadline for submissions is 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time, January 7, 2026."

New York State Bar Association International Section: Albert S. Pergam International Law Writing Competition (annual)

• Sponsor: International Section of the New York State Bar Association
• Topic in current Competition: "The writing competition, which began in 1988, fosters legal scholarship in international law by encouraging law students and new legal practitioners to write on topics in public or private international law." 
• Format requirements in current Competition include: "The submission must be a piece of legal scholarship (i.e., a law review-style article) primarily focused on an aspect of law in any area of public or private international law or practice."  "Maximum length of 40 pages (including cover page and footnotes), not to exceed 20,000 words inclusive of footnotes."  "The submission must not have been published or be under contract for publication with any other outlet, except for the New York State Bar Journal, the New York International Law Review, or the International Law Practicum...." 
• Eligibility requirements in current Competition include: "Submissions are open to current law students (J.D., LL.M., and Ph.D. candidates) at any law school worldwide at the time of submission."  "Submissions must include proof of enrollment in law school as a J.D., LL.M., or Ph.D. student, along with a copy of the author's resume/CV."
• Prize in current Competition: "The winner will receive: 1) $2,000 USD; and 2) Publication of the article (subject to editorial approval) in the New York International Law Review."
• Deadline for submission in current Competition: "The submission deadline is 4:00 p.m. EST on Friday, January 16, 2026."

Rule of Law Writing Competition (annual) - Librarian Jean Davis wrote to organizer to ask whether this Competition will have a Feb. 2026 deadline.

Trandafir Writing Competition (annual)

• Sponsors: Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems, in conjunction with the University of Iowa College of Law International and Comparative Law Program
• Topic: "[W]orld affairs"  "Any contemporary international business or economic concern."  Website provides examples of recent winning submission topics.
• Format requirements in 2026 Competition include: "Essay"  "There is no minimum page requirement. The essay must not exceed 50 pages, including footnotes."
• Eligibility requirements in 2026 Competition include: "All students currently enrolled in law or graduate degree programs."  "To be eligible essays must be standalone pieces which have not been published or have an outstanding commitment for publication."
• Prize in 2026 Competition: "The winning essay will be published in Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems, a journal of the University of Iowa College of Law.  TLCP reserves the right to work with the winner to edit the winning submission in order to meet the standards necessary for publication."  "[A] $2,500 cash prize [subject to tax withholding] paid upon publication of the winning submission."   
• Deadline for submission in 2026 Competition: March 13, 2026.

Tip: Sponsors/facilitators of student writing competitions provide more detailed instructions and rules at their websites.  Students need to review the information and rules available at these websites.  

We encourage the BLS community to attend the Native American Heritage Month celebration that will be held in the student lounge at 12:45 PM today, Monday, November 10.  As part of the celebration, there will be giveaways of several books recommended by the BLS Library team.

Do also check out the library’s digital display and our book display for Native American Heritage Month on the first floor of the library. Hope to see you soon!

Starting Monday, August 11, 2025, BLS Library is changing over to the use of OpenAthens, a secure access management platform that allows users to access electronic resources remotely using single sign-on (SSO). Members of the BLS community will be able to use OpenAthens to access library resources remotely, in place of remote access through the proxy server.  Below, please find an important message from Library Director Brittany Persson detailing the reasons for the change, and resources if you run into issues. The BLS Library Technology: Remote Access guide also provides important information about OpenAthens and links to key resources connected to the transition. 

“On Monday, August 11th, BLS Library will begin our transition to OpenAthens, a new method of accessing library electronic resources remotely. OpenAthens will replace our current remote access system, the proxy server, and will instead use single sign-on (SSO) technology that integrates with BLS accounts.

Why is the Library making this change?

Discontinuing the proxy server and migrating to OpenAthens will improve the research experience at BLS by providing reliable, stable, secure, and streamlined access to library resources from anywhere.*

How will this affect you?

1. When accessing a digital resource through a library website (such as the catalog, the A-Z Databases list and our research guides), you will be directed to an OpenAthens login screen, where you can click "Sign in with your BLS credentials". Once you enter your BLS email and password, you will then be signed into OpenAthens on that browser, even if you navigate to other websites or resources.

2. When accessing a digital resource directly through a database, look for a login link. Login links might include terms like, “Login through your institution,” “OpenAthens,” or “Sign In”.

3. Resources that already require individual usernames and passwords, such as Westlaw, Lexis, Bloomberg, and CALI, are not migrating to OpenAthens.

What do you need to know?

The migration to OpenAthens will take place from Monday, August 11th to Wednesday, August 13th. During this time, resource links in the catalog, the A-Z Databases list and our research guides will be updated to allow for proper OpenAthens access.

During this transition, some resource URLs may be temporarily broken or unavailable. We appreciate your patience while we ensure that OpenAthens is properly configured and set up.

What do you need to do?

During the first few weeks of the fall semester, you should disable the proxy server. If you have links to subscription resources bookmarked or embedded in class syllabi, they will also need to be updated to comply with OpenAthens. Instructions for disabling the proxy and updating links, as well as more detailed information about OpenAthens, can be found here.

After August 13, if you run into any access problems, please send them to the Library using our Report an OpenAthens Issue form.”