Toby Prince Brigham OCA Scholarship

Each year Owners’ Counsel of America awards the Toby Prince Brigham OCA Scholarship to a second or third year law student in honor of Toby Prince Brigham, the lawyer who founded OCA in 2000 based on the belief that the right of private property ownership is a fundamental constitutional right which warrants protecting and defending by the most experienced lawyers in the United States. (Scroll down to see all past scholarship recipients and their profiles).

The scholarship funds the selected student’s travel, lodging and attendance at the premier property rights conference in the country, known as the ALI-CLE Eminent Domain and Land Valuation Litigation conference, and associated OCA events held annually in late January/early February. This distinctive opportunity is designed to facilitate student interaction and networking with experienced property rights lawyers and other professionals, while deepening comprehension of substantive issues and best practices, with the overall goal of inspiring the next generation of defenders of private property rights.

If you are a U.S. law student with a demonstrated interest in property rights and would like to learn more about or apply for the Toby Prince Brigham OCA Scholarship, please contact OCA’s Executive Director by email at info@ownerscounsel.com or by phone at 1-800-806-5155. Note that the deadline for submitting the complete application is October 1st of each year.  The 2025 ALI-CLE Eminent Domain and Land Valuation Litigation conference will be held in San Diego, California.

John Castello, a third-year law student at the UMKC School of Law, has been recognized on the Dean’s List and contributes to the Law Review. With a focus on land use law, John has a BA in Art History with a Business Minor and completed an internship with the Honorable James Dowd of the Missouri Court of Appeals (Eastern District). He also assisted Professor Cheslik in editing two books on Missouri Property Law and Land Use. In addition to his academic work, John volunteers with the Land Title Clinic. He previously served as a law clerk with the Lake County Attorney’s Office.

Cameron Westbrook, a second-year law student at the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver, is on a full scholarship. He has a strong and demonstrated interest in private property rights. Cameron currently serves as a clerk for the Institute for Justice and volunteers with the Mountain States Legal Foundation, a nonprofit public interest law firm that assists low-income clients with property rights and other legal matters. He is also the President of the DU Federalist Society. Cameron’s previous experience includes an internship at the Cato Institute in 2022 and serving as the Community Engagement Director for Americans for Prosperity in New Orleans.

Kenneth Landers, a second year law student at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, was selected as the third recipient of the Toby Prince Brigham OCA Scholarship, attending the 2024 ALI-CLE Eminent Domain and Land Valuation Litigation conference in New Orleans in February. Kenneth serves as the Tenth Circuit Articles Editor with the Denver Law Review and as Treasurer of the Denver Student Chapter of the Federalist Society. He is also a Research Assistant to Professor Jan Laitos, a prolific author regarding property rights and the U.S. Constitution. In the summer of 2023, Kenneth interned with the Pacific Legal Foundation. Prior to law school, he served as the deputy policy director with the minority caucus in the Colorado State Senate. In addition to attending the conference, Mr. Landers attended several OCA events, including the annual OCA Awards Dinner and a dinner with the OCA Scholarship Committee.

Shelly Vallone, a third year law student at William & Mary Law School was selected by the OCA Board of Directors and Scholarship Committee after extensive outreach to several law schools across the country. Personal recommendations were sought from deans, law professors and others with knowledge of students possessing a genuine interest in private property rights. “Shelly received a glowing recommendation from Robert Thomas, her Property Rights professor at William & Mary,” said OCA’s Executive Director. “In this upper-division advanced course she stood out for her thoughtful and insightful contributions on the subjects of eminent domain, inverse condemnation and regulatory takings.” During law school, Shelly was a summer associate with the law firm of Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh where she worked on a variety of land use and property matters, including entitlements, zonings, re-zonings, and special use permits and exceptions. Shelly also worked with the real estate transactional team on various real estate contracts and documents, such as reciprocal easement agreements and condominium bylaws. In 2022 Shelly attended the Brigham Kanner Property Rights Conference at William & Mary, where members of the bench, bar and academia come together to explore recent developments in the law of property rights and to advance the cause of property rights in the broader scheme of individual liberty.

As a second year law student attending Denver University Sturm College of Law, in 2022 Nina Sawaya became the very first recipient of the Toby Prince Brigham OCA Scholarship. Ms. Sawaya was selected after an extensive outreach effort to several law schools across the country. Personal recommendations were sought from deans, law professors and others with knowledge of students possessing a genuine interest in private property rights. “In selecting Nina Sawaya,” said OCA Executive Director, “both the Scholarship Committee and Board were impressed with her academic record, proven interest and commitment to private property rights, and her prior work experience in the area of real estate. They felt in the end that she was the ideal candidate. OCA is thrilled to make this professional experience available to such an outstanding student.” During law school, Nina served as the Research Assistant to Professor Jan Laitos who holds the Joe T. Juhan Endowed Professorship in Property Rights and Policy at the Sturm College of Law. “It is wonderful to know that there are professional organizations like Owners’ Counsel of America that can take the interest which Nina exhibited in law school and show her how it can be cultivated into a full-blown practice area as part of developing a rewarding legal career.”