The Lawyers' Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation ("LCCHP") is pleased to announce the winners of its 2009 annual student writing competition sponsored by Andrews Kurth LLP. The first place winner is Amelia Sargent of Stanford University Law School for a paper entitled "New Jurisdictional Tools for Displaced Cultural Property in Russia: From 'Twice Saved' to 'Twice Taken'". The second place winner is Melanie Greer of DePaul University College of Law for her paper entitled "Deaccessioning: A Necessary Evil?". An honorable mention went to "The Limits of the Law: The Impact of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Trade in Illicit Cambodian Antiquities", by Terressa Davis of the University of Georgia.

Both winning papers will be published in the 2010 Yearbook of Cultural Property Law. The finalist paper, "Complying with NAGPRA's Pesticide Provision: A Best Practice Guide" by Lydia Grunstra of American University Washington College of Law will also be published in the next issue of the Yearbook.

Due to the generosity of Andrews Kurth's DC office, the first-place winner will receive an award of $1000 and the second-place winner will receive an award of $500. This is the fifth annual LCCHP competition, and it attracted twenty-six entries from nineteen law schools, the largest number of entries and law schools represented in any prior competition. We also want to thank this year's writing competition selection committee, chaired by Sherry Hutt, and including Ricardo St. Hilaire, Lucille Roussin and Gillian Bearns.

For the third year, LCCHP is pleased to partner with Andrews Kurth in offering this competition as a means of expanding the teaching of cultural heritage preservation law in U.S. law schools. LCCHP is a nonprofit organization of lawyers, law students and interested members of the public who have joined together to promote the preservation and protection of cultural heritage resources in the United States and internationally through education and advocacy.  Please visit the LCCHP web site, culturalheritagelaw.org, for more information and for the upcoming announcement of the 2010 student writing competition.

About Andrews Kurth

For more than a century, Andrews Kurth LLP has built its practice on the belief that "straight talk is good business." Real answers, clear vision and mutual respect define the firm's relationships with clients, colleagues, communities and employees. The firm has represented government and quasi-governmental institutions, museums, churches, foundations, families and private individuals from around the globe on the legal aspects of art and antiquities recovery in U.S. courts.  With more than 400 lawyers and offices in Austin, Beijing, Dallas, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, The Woodlands and Washington, DC, Andrews Kurth represents a wide array of clients in all areas of business law. More information about the firm's art and cultural property practice may be found online at: http://www.andrewskurth.com/industries-art_cultural_property.html.