Isabelle Grest (J.D. ’28), a second-year part-time student at Georgia State University College of Law, recently won the 2025 ABA Student Writing Competition.
Grest submitted a legal writing piece on Construction law. When asked why she entered the competition, Grest said: “I wanted to take every available opportunity to improve my writing. Legal writing is a difficult art that I know I need to improve with, so I'm ready to take any chance given to me.”
The ABA writing competition requires all participants to write a minimum 1000-word paper, designed to address a topical issue of interest to the construction industry. The competition is open to any student aged 21 years or older who is enrolled in an ABA-accredited institution, making the pool of applicants competitive.
She wrote about how natural disasters have shaped construction and design.
Isabelle Grest (J.D. ’28) received the 2025 ABA Student Writing Competition award and shared her Georgia State pride.
Although for some law students their path to becoming an attorney is straightforward and clear early on in life, others may experience different twists and turn on their road to finding their niche.
Grest said becoming an attorney was not her initial career goal. However, during her previous career as a real estate agent working in property management, she formed connections with attorneys that changed her perspective on the legal profession. Grest would combine these connections with her career experience, allowing her to be successful in enacting change within the real estate industry.
“I originally wanted to attend medical school, but I met someone in the [legal] industry and saw the power of helping people through real estate,” Grest said.
Helping people within her community has always been the driving force behind Grest's academic and career interests. Her passion for construction law comes from witnessing revitalization projects through Atlanta, like the Beltline and Invest Atlanta, that transform areas and communities.
When it came to the ABA Writing Competition, Grest was able to use real-world examples to reinforce her passion and provide a legal analysis based on practical application and experience.
“The actual writing wasn't the difficult part; the hardest part was trying to narrow down a topic,” Grest explained.
She channeled a personal experience that embodied why she wanted to go to law school. “I recalled the difficult experience of my grandmother losing her home in North Carolina to a hurricane, and the process of rebuilding from the loss,” Grest said.
In contrast to her strong ideals and passion, Grest was quite pragmatic when it came to entering the competition. “I went in with no expectations of winning. I figured entering the competition would be a win either way, as I would obtain more writing experience as well as a new writing sample for employers.” Grest said.
Grest’s former legal writing professor, Shenita Brazelton, knew she had a rockstar student prior to her big win. “I'm not surprised at all that she received the ABA award, she consistently demonstrated tenacity, curiosity and a strong growth mindset.”
Grest still remains in a state of shock after winning the competition and is incredibly excited for the ABA to publish her writing. She also took the opportunity to praise the Georgia State University College of Law for the opportunities it provides to students. “It’s nice being a part-time student and getting to shine light on the program. We have a lot of great people in my class who come from diverse backgrounds.”
- Written by Kyle McCaffrey (J.D. '27)