Alexandra Mallory ’25 Honored with the Burton Award for Distinguished Legal Writing

Brooklyn Law School proudly announces that Alexandra Mallory ’25, editor-in-chief for the Brooklyn Journal of International Law, is one of only 15 law school students nationwide to receive the prestigious Burton Award, which is formally known as the “2025 Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Award.” 

Mallory is being honored for her article “Closing Down Access to Asylum: The Illegal Migration Act’s Incompatibility with International Refugee Law,” which appeared in Volume 49, Issue 2, of the Brooklyn Journal of International Law. The Burton Award is dedicated to rewarding great achievements in law, with a special emphasis on writing and reform. It is sponsored by Law360, and co-sponsored by the American Bar Association and Sullivan & Cromwell. The awards ceremony will be held at the magnificent Library of Congress. 

“Receiving this award and being one of 15 people nationwide to win is such a huge honor and shock, honestly,” Mallory said. “It’s such a good, rewarding feeling especially when I think about how much time I put into writing that note and actually doing research for it. I worked on it for almost an entire year, last year.” 

Mallory credits the strength of the note to the International Law class she took with Brooklyn Law School Professor Stratos Pahis, who is co-director of the Dennis J. Block Center for the Study of International Business Law. “Taking his class, I had such a stronger understanding of International Law and what it really means when a country signs and ratifies a treaty,” said Mallory, who is also a Block Center Fellow. 

“We’re so proud of Lexi,” Pahis said.  “She is a leader in international law at Brooklyn Law School and an outstanding young scholar. Her award is a credit to her talents and hard work, and to the Law School’s dedication to training students in the field.”   

The award-winning note discusses the Illegal Migration Act, which aims to deter asylum seekers from choosing the United Kingdom as a refuge by placing a duty on the Secretary of State to remove individuals who meet certain criteria, regardless of their protection claims. It lists countries deemed "safe," compelling removals without evaluating claims. This approach raises the risk of refoulement, violating the 1951 Refugee Convention, as it neglects individual persecution concerns and promotes discriminatory treatment based on nationality.  

Mallory’s note was nominated by the Law School and chosen by a Burton Award selection committee consisting of distinguished judges and law professors.
 
“This is a huge accomplishment and a well-deserved honor,” said President and Joseph Crea Dean David Meyer. It also builds upon a strong track record, as nine previous winners of the Burton Award were also Brooklyn Law School students. 

Mallory will be presented with an engraved award at a star-studded gala on May 19 at the Library of Congress. Former anchor of ABC’s Nightline, Ted Koppel, will be the event’s Master of Ceremonies, and there will be a performance by 16-time Grammy Award-winner David Foster and Broadway star Katharine McPhee.