The School of Law awards its Juris Doctor degree with three levels of honor, cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude, to graduating students who have demonstrated outstanding ability in their performance at the School. The following awards are also made at graduation:
Order of the Coif
Those members of the graduating class with cumulative grade averages in the top 10 per cent of the class are eligible for election to membership in the Order of the Coif.
Order of the Barristers
The Order of the Barristers is a national organization that honors oral advocacy and brief writing skills. Ten graduating students are selected by the faculty for honorary membership in the Order of the Barristers.
Aldisert Award
An award, established by the former law clerks of United States Circuit Court Judge Ruggero J. Aldisert, class of 1947, is presented annually to the student who receives the highest grade in the Advocacy and Adjudication course.
American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Award
This award is given to a graduating student who exemplifies the positive attributes of a matrimonial lawyer.
Appellate Court Competition Award
This award, which recognizes the outstanding oralists in the Appellate Court Competition, was established to honor W. Edward Sell, dean emeritus and Distinguished Service Professor of Law emeritus. The names of the winners are placed on the Appellate Court Competition Award Plaque.
Blackburn Memorial Award
This award recognizes the student who has made the most useful contribution to the Appellate Court Competition. The student's name is placed on the Blackburn Memorial Plaque.
David R. Bookstaver Award
This award, established by the faculty and alumni of the school to honor Professor David R. Bookstaver, is presented annually to the student who demonstrates excellence in the field of the transfer of property by devise, bequest, or gift.
Thomas M. Cooley, II, Legal Writing Award
This award is made to the graduating senior who, in the judgment of the faculty, has written the most distinguished paper for a seminar or independent study.
Robert Maxwell DeBroff Prize
This annual award is given in memory of the late Mr. DeBroff, class of 1958, to the student who, in the judgment of the faculty, has shown the greatest motivation, interest, and achievement in the area of corporate law.
Ronald D. Ecker Memorial Award
Presented annually to the outstanding team in the Client Counseling Program, this award was established to honor Ronald D. Ecker, a member of the class of 1956 noted for dedication to his clients. The names of the winners are inscribed on a plaque displayed in the Barco Law Library.
William H. Eckert Prize
An endowment from Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott provides awards for students who, in the judgment of the faculty, have written superior papers in the upper division Legal Writing Program.
Faculty Award for Excellence in Legal Scholarship
This award, created by the faculty, recognizes outstanding scholarly achievement in a student seminar or independent study paper.
Herman L. Foreman Award
This award is presented annually to the graduate who attains the highest grade in the Private Labor Law course. The firm of Rothman, Gordon, Foreman and Groudine established the award in honor of their founding partner, Herman L. Foreman, class of 1941.
Gerald K. Gibson Memorial Award
The Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section of the Allegheny County Bar Association established this award in memory of Judge Gerald K. Gibson, a well-loved and respected member of the bankruptcy judiciary in the Western District of Pennsylvania for thirty years. This award is made to the student deemed by the faculty to be the outstanding member of the Bankruptcy course.
Murray S. Love Award
This award, which recognizes the outstanding participants in the Murray S. Love Trial Court Competition, was established as a memorial to Murray S. Love, a member of the class of 1954, by friends and members of his family. The names of the winners are placed on a plaque displayed in the Teplitz Memorial Courtroom.
National Association of Women Lawyers Law Student Achievement Award
The National Association of Women Lawyers confers an award of honorary membership upon women students who have established an outstanding record of achievement during three years at the school.
Phi Delta Gamma Award
This award is made by the University of Pittsburgh chapter of the National Phi Delta Gamma organization to a graduate or professional student who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in his or her chosen field.
Pittsburgh Tax Club Memorial Prize
This prize recognizes the student with the outstanding performance in federal taxation courses.
William Frederick Schulz, Jr., Legal History Award
This award is made annually to the student who, in the judgment of the faculty, writes the outstanding paper in the field of legal history.
Scribes Award
A subscription to the Scribes periodical is awarded annually for the best article of legal writing by a Law Review member.
W. Edward Sell Award
This award was established by the Watson Chapter of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity to honor W. Edward Sell, dean emeritus and Distinguished Service Professor of Law emeritus, for his service on behalf of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. A prize is awarded annually to the graduating student who attains the highest grade in the Corporations course.
David Stahl Memorial Award
An award is given by the Alumni Association of the Law School to the student attaining the highest average in the graduating class. The award is made in memory of the late Judge David Stahl, class of 1949.
Taintor Memorial Award
The Taintor Memorial Award was established by the faculty and alumni in memory of the late Professor Charles W. Taintor, II. A treatise in the field of conflict of laws is awarded annually to the student receiving the highest grade in the Conflict of Laws course.
The Teplitz Memorial Awards
The Benjamin H. Teplitz, class of 1917, and Esther F. Teplitz, BS, MD, awards are made annually. An award of law books is made to the member of the graduating class who receives the highest grade average for third-year work in the school. An award of books dealing with the subject of law and medicine is made to the student who receives the highest grade in the Health Law course.
United States Law Week Award
A year's subscription to Law Week is awarded to the student who, in the judgment of the faculty, has made the most satisfactory progress in the third year.
University Alumni Association Student Leadership Award
Each year the Alumni Association honors at a leadership banquet those third-year students who, in the opinion of the Dean, have exhibited exceptional leadership qualities as law students.
Wilder, Mahood & Crenney Family Law Award
An award is made each year to the student who receives the highest grade in the Family Law course.