Blass Law PLLC awards $1,000 once a year to a student who writes the most persuasive essay about a specific problem in the American criminal justice system. Applications for the 2027 award are open now and close May 1, 2027.
I have spent my career in Harris County courtrooms defending people accused of DWI and other crimes. The lawyers who do this work well are the ones who can look at a rule everybody treats as settled and explain exactly why it produces the wrong result. That is what this essay asks you to do.
The award
- Amount: $1,000, paid by check to the recipient or directly to their school’s financial aid office, at the recipient’s election.
- Number of awards: One per year.
- Application deadline: May 1, 2027, 11:59 p.m. Central Time.
- Recipient announced: On or before June 15, 2027.
Who can apply
Any student can apply. You are eligible if you are currently enrolled at, or hold a written offer of admission to, an accredited college, university, graduate school, or law school in the United States, and you will be enrolled during the 2027-2028 academic year. Undergraduates, graduate students, and law students compete for the same award, and you do not need to be studying law or criminal justice. A high school senior with a college acceptance letter qualifies.
There is no minimum GPA and no residency requirement. You do not need to live in Texas or attend a Texas school. Employees of Blass Law PLLC and their immediate family members are not eligible.
Essay prompt
Answer this question in 750 to 1,000 words:
Identify one specific rule, statute, or courtroom practice in the criminal justice system of your state that you believe produces unjust results. Explain how it operates in practice and who it affects. Describe the change you would make. Then make the strongest argument you can against your own proposal, and explain why you would still make the change.
Two notes on what we are looking for. Be specific. Name the rule, the statute number, the local practice, the courtroom. “The system is unfair” is not an argument. And take the counterargument seriously. The last section is the one we read most closely, because that is where we find out whether you understand the problem or only your side of it.
How to apply
Fill out the form at the bottom of this page and attach your essay as a PDF or Word document. Put your name and the essay title on the first page of the document. You will receive an automatic email confirming that we have your application. If it does not arrive within a few minutes, check your spam folder, then email us at [email protected].
Official rules
- The essay must be your own original work, written for this scholarship. Essays published elsewhere, submitted to another scholarship, or generated by an AI writing tool will be disqualified.
- One entry per applicant per year.
- Submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on May 1, 2027. Late submissions are not considered.
- Essays are judged on the specificity of the problem identified, the merit of the proposed change, the strength of the counterargument, and the clarity of the writing. Jay Blass Cohen is the sole judge and his decision is final.
- Submitting an essay does not create an attorney-client relationship with Blass Law PLLC and does not make this page legal advice.
- If you are selected, you grant Blass Law PLLC permission to publish your name, your school, and your essay title on this page. We will ask for separate permission before publishing the essay itself.
- We use applicant information only to administer this scholarship. We do not sell it and we do not add applicants to a marketing list.
- The award may be taxable income to the recipient. Blass Law PLLC does not give tax advice. Talk to your own advisor.
- Void where prohibited.
Past recipients
2027 is the first year of the Blass Law Criminal Justice Scholarship. The inaugural recipient will be named on this page on or before June 15, 2027. Every recipient after that stays listed here by name and school, along with their essay title.
Blass Law has run essay scholarships before. The Blass Law Teen Responsibility Scholarship and the Blass Law Traffic Stop PSA Scholarship are both closed and are no longer accepting applications.
Questions
Financial aid officers and applicants can reach us at [email protected] or (713) 664-4000. If you administer a scholarship listing page and need anything else from us to include this award, just ask.