Counsl is awarding two $5,000 prizes for short, practical advice that can help future law students and new attorneys begin the journey with more clarity, confidence, and support.
Entries close October 30, 2026 · Winners announced November 15, 2026
One award recognizes the best advice for people entering law school. The other recognizes the best advice for recent graduates and new attorneys entering the profession. Enter whichever fits where you are in your career.
For experienced attorneys
Answer this:
What is the best piece of advice you would give to recent law school graduates and new attorneys as they begin their legal careers?
For recent graduates and new attorneys
Answer this:
What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone entering law school this year?
Entering takes a few minutes. Pick the category that fits where you are in your career, keep your answer short, and submit it through the form on this page.
Four things. Nothing else is required.
50 words or fewer
Short is the point. Say one useful thing clearly.
30 seconds or shorter
Record on your phone. Share a link when you submit.
Want to share it publicly too? Post your advice on your own channels and tag Counsl. Public posts are welcome and encouraged, but your entry is only counted once it comes through the form on this page.
Counsl is looking for advice that is genuinely useful to someone at the start of the journey. Polish matters less than substance.
The advice is easy to understand on a single read.
It reflects real experience rather than general encouragement.
It says something the reader has probably not heard before.
Someone could act on it in their first week of school or practice.
Open now
Submit any time before the deadline. One entry per category.
October 30, 2026
Submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
November 15, 2026
Recipients are notified directly and announced by Counsl.
Last updated: September 2, 2026
No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win. Purchasing any Counsl product or service does not improve your chances of being selected.
The Counsl Best Advice Awards are sponsored by Counsl.ai.
Entry is open to individuals who are at least 18 years of age at the time of entry and who are legal residents of the fifty United States or the District of Columbia.
Entrants must be either (a) an attorney licensed to practice in at least one United States jurisdiction, or (b) a law school graduate who has applied for admission to the bar in at least one United States jurisdiction.
Employees, officers, and directors of the Sponsor, and their immediate family members and members of their households, are not eligible to enter or win.
Two awards will be presented, one in each category:
Awards are not transferable. No substitution is permitted except by the Sponsor, who reserves the right to substitute an award of equal or greater value if the stated award becomes unavailable.
The entry period begins on September 1, 2026 and ends on October 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Entries received after that time will not be considered.
Submit your entry through the official entry form at counsl.ai/best-advice-awards. Each entry must include your first name, the law school you attended, the jurisdiction in which you are licensed or seeking admission, and your advice.
Written entries must be 50 words or fewer. Video entries must be 30 seconds or shorter and submitted as a working link.
Entrants may submit one entry per category. Entries submitted through any other channel, including social media, are not official entries and will not be considered for an award.
Entries will be reviewed by a panel selected by Counsl.ai and evaluated on clarity, sincerity, originality, and practical usefulness to the intended audience. Selection decisions are made in the sole discretion of the Sponsor and are final.
Recipients will be notified by email at the address provided with their entry on or about November 15, 2026. If a recipient cannot be reached within 10 days of the first notification attempt, or if a notification is returned undeliverable, the Sponsor may select an alternate recipient.
You retain ownership of your entry. By entering, you grant the Sponsor a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to reproduce, publish, display, and distribute your entry, in whole or in part, in connection with the Counsl Best Advice Awards and Counsl's marketing, subject to the permission selection you made on the entry form.
If you did not grant permission to be featured publicly, your entry will be used only for the purpose of evaluating it for an award.
You represent that your entry is your own original work, that it does not infringe the rights of any third party, and that it does not disclose confidential information or anything covered by the attorney-client privilege.
The Sponsor may disqualify any entry that:
Submitting an entry does not create an attorney-client relationship, employment relationship, partnership, joint venture, or any guarantee of future opportunity between you and the Sponsor. Nothing in these rules or in any entry constitutes legal advice.
Information you provide is handled in accordance with Counsl's Privacy Policy. If you consented to receive updates, you may unsubscribe at any time. Consent to receive updates is not required to enter or win.
By entering, you release the Sponsor from any liability arising out of your participation, your entry, or the receipt or use of an award, to the fullest extent permitted by law.
These rules are governed by the laws of the State of Oregon, without regard to conflict of law principles.
The Sponsor may modify or cancel the Counsl Best Advice Awards if fraud, technical failure, or any other factor beyond its reasonable control compromises the fairness or integrity of the program. Any change will be posted on this page.
Questions about these rules may be directed to Counsl through the contact page.
One entry per category. Entries close October 30, 2026.
Thank you for taking the time. Advice like yours is exactly what someone starting out needs and rarely gets.
October 30
Entries close. Every submission is read after that date.
November 15
Recipients are notified by email and announced by Counsl.
Share it while you wait.
Post your advice on your own channels and tag Counsl. Your entry is already
counted, but the people who need to read it are out there.
Counsl and Child Opportunity Trust are products of Counsl.ai.
Payment processing, technical oversight, and marketing efforts provided by Cold Blue Creative Marketing LLC.
Two $5,000 awards for the best advice given to new attorneys and to those entering law school. Fifty words. One piece of advice.
Submit your advice →