Boyd Law Student Wins First Place in National PIABA Beckley Competition
William S. Boyd School of Law student Amanda Vaskov has won first place in the prestigious Public Investors Advocate Bar Association (PIABA) Beckley Scholarship Competition, earning national recognition for her scholarship on investor protection. Her award-winning paper, “Blue Sky Promises: Regulating Fixed-Indexed Annuities as Securities,” will be published in an upcoming issue of the PIABA Bar Journal. Vaskov is the second Boyd Law student to win the national competition, following alumnus Travis Studdard ('22), who earned first place in 2021.
Vaskov’s inspiration for the paper stemmed from her hands-on background in public policy and consumer advocacy. "I worked on consumer protection legislation in the 2023 Nevada legislative session, and ever since then, I've been interested in those issues," Vaskov explained.
That interest followed her into law school. While taking Professor Benjamin Edwards' securities regulation course, Vaskov began exploring whether fixed-index annuities posed overlooked risks to consumers. The resulting paper argues that these complex financial products require greater regulatory oversight because of the unique risks they can pose to investors, particularly older adults. "After researching and learning that fixed-index annuities are particularly risky for senior investors, I decided to write the paper," she said.
Writing about complex financial products presented its own unique challenges, primarily translating intricate regulations into an accessible, compelling narrative. "My number one challenge was to make a paper about fixed-index annuities readable," Vaskov noted. To bridge that gap, she worked closely with Professor Edwards through a directed research project. "Professor Edwards' expertise helped me gain a deep understanding of the topic to write a readable paper," she said.
Edwards recognized Vaskov's potential early on, having taught her during her first year of law school. "I knew she was driven and capable of handling a fairly complex issue,” Edwards said. “She worked hard, responded thoughtfully to feedback, and strengthened the paper with every draft."
When the news broke that her paper had taken first place nationally, both student and mentor were thrilled.
"I was delighted by the news," said Professor Edwards. "I thought she had a strong chance going in because she wrote a great draft, but you never know what other papers will be in the mix in a contest like this. I know the contest has been won in the past by students from Yale, Wake Forest, Cornell, and Boyd Law. I'm thrilled that she won."
For Vaskov, the recognition reflected both her hard work and Boyd Law's commitment to excellence in legal writing. "It felt awesome!" Vaskov said. "I'm so proud to highlight Boyd Law's number-one legal writing program on a national stage."