TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jul 15, 2022

For the second year in a row, a law student from Belmont College of Law has won the 2022 ABA Journal/Ross Writing Contest. Frank Toub, who is entering his third year, won for his short story “Dope Fiend” — his first stab at fiction writing. The central theme of the story came from advice given to Toub’s wife, who works remotely for a Pennsylvania law firm: “If you can do something for another that means a lot to that person, but it costs you little, you should do it every time.” A criminal defendant in the story follows this advice when she helps her alcoholic lawyer. Toub said he wanted to explore addiction “through the lens of an attorney who could clearly see his client’s issues but not see the issues in himself.” Toub is a former project engineer and Army veteran who decided to go to law school on the GI Bill. After he graduates, he will join the law firm of Baker Donelson. The ABA Journal reports it will publish the story on its website the week of Thanksgiving.