Brennan Foy, a 2019 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, was awarded third place in the New York State Bar Association’s annual writing competition.
Foy’s paper, titled “Animal Welfare and India’s Constitution: A Blueprint for the United States and the World,” started out as a passion project.
“After learning in Professor [Joan] Heminway’s class that some countries include protections for animal welfare in their constitutions, I was immediately interested in exploring that topic further,” Foy said. “So I approached Professor Heminway about doing a directed research project on the subject. This paper is the result of that research.”
Foy says he entered the contest with Heminway’s encouragement and was acknowledged by the New York State Bar Association for his efforts.
“This was my first time writing a substantial legal paper,” Foy said. “I definitely learned a lot from the process about both the topic and, more importantly, legal writing.”
Foy believes the project helped him develop his writing skills, which he has been able to use in classes and jobs since then.
He took the Tennessee Bar Exam in July and is currently working as a judicial law clerk in Rutherford County, Tennessee.