Roy Snell, CHC, CCEP-F / Former CEO of SCCE & HCCA
The competition honors Roy Snell, the distinguished and highly regarded cofounder and former CEO of the Health Care Compliance Association and the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics, for his visionary leadership and extraordinary contributions to the field of Health Care Compliance. He lends his name to the competition to support new and emerging leaders in health care compliance.
About the Competition
In keeping with Roy Snell’s keen interest in practical, realistic, and user-centered communication, as well as a commitment to efficiency and clarity in writing, this demanding competition requires students to analyze a hypothetical fact pattern (the Competition Problem) involving an organization facing multifaceted health care regulatory/compliance matters and draft two separate internal memoranda to two different recipients within the organization. This competition recognizes law students for innovative, strategic, and sound approaches to tackling complex contemporary health care regulatory and compliance issues.
Students must analyze the facts presented in the Competition Problem, identify any and all regulatory/compliance concerns, and advise the recipient of the memorandum. While these two internal memoranda address the same hypothetical situation and subject matter, they are to be drafted with a specific audience/reader in mind. Content must be customized to a particular audience/reader to optimize understanding, engagement, and responsiveness.
2025 Competition Details
The 2025 competition will run Monday, February 3rd until Monday, March 17th, 2025. All registered students will be sent the Competition Problem the morning on February 3rd, along with the full rules. They will have six weeks to read it, and write and submit their memorandum and PowerPoint submissions. The competition will have three winners graded anonymously by our independent panel of judges. The top three winners will receive a monetary prize for their work and paid registration for the 2026 HCCA Annual Compliance Institute (valued at over $1,500). They will also receive up to $1500 in travel and conference-related expenses.
- 1st Place — $5000 cash prize
- 2nd Place — $3000 cash prize
- 3rd Place — $1500 cash prize
Who May Enter
The competition is open to all full and part-time law students in J.D. programs who have completed their 1L year. The competition is also open to any student currently enrolled in a Compliance Certification Board (CCB) accredited program. Students may register as an individual or as teams of two, as long as they meet the requirements and are from the same school.
Registration & Submission Details for 2025
Registration opens on December 1st, 2024. Registration will close on February 2nd, 2025 at 11:59pm CT.
Important Notice: Our site is undergoing updates from December 18-21. Please refrain from submitting any forms during this period. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.
Register | Submit |
Judging Panel
All submissions will be judged by a panel of independent legal and compliance experts. Neither the entrant’s identity nor academic institution will be known to the judges.
Mark Gardner, MBA, JD
Managing Attorney
Gardner Law
Melissa Hunt
Senior Director, Arcus Biosciences
Business Partner and Health Law Attorney
Michael Loucks, JD
Partner, Health Care and Life Sciences, Skadden, Arps, Slate,
Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates
Bob Wade
Partner, Nelson Mullins
About the Competition Sponsor
The Roy Snell Health Care Regulatory & Compliance Writing Competition is made possible in part by generous support from the Health Care Compliance Association. The HCCA champions ethical practice and compliance standards and provides necessary resources for healthcare professionals and others who share those principles.
FAQs
- Will there be 1 submission, or 2?
- For the 2025 problem, there are 2 submission pieces required, one memorandum and one PowerPoint. There will be a spot for each on the submission form.
- How will submissions be anonymous?
- When a submission is made, the HLI Program Administrator will assign each submission a number and give them to the judges. Once the judges have scored all submissions, names will be revealed.
- Can I finish this Competition Problem in a weekend?
- Students that have entered in previous years suggest that you carefully and thoughtfully work on the problem for a longer period of time to ensure your best work.
2024 Competition Details
Congratulations to the 2024 Roy Snell Competitions winners! For more information about this year’s winners and competition, you can access our press release below.
2024 Winners and Problem
2024 Press Release
2024 Competition Rules
2023 Winners and Problem
2023 Press Release
2023 Competition Rules
2022 Winners and Problem
2022 Press Release
2022 Competition Rules
2021 Winners and Problem
2021 – Press Release
2021 Competition Rules
First Year Competition Acknowledgment
The November 2020 issue of Compliance Today featured an article written by Adam Turteltaub on the Mitchell Hamline inaugural Roy Snell Health Care Regulatory & Compliance Writing Competition. The article highlights the value of the competition and features the students who received top honors from the first year’s competition. You can read the article here.