Third-year law student Jean Phillip “J.P.” Shami was recently named a finalist for the 23rd annual Brown Award sponsored by The Judge John R. Brown Scholarship Foundation. Shami, who serves as Executive Editor of the University of Miami Law Review, is the first-ever finalist from Miami Law in this prestigious competition.
The Brown Award recognizes excellence in legal writing. Shami’s paper, “A Promise Realized? A Critical Review of Accountable Care Organizations since the Enactment of the Affordable Care Act ” was one of five that received a cash prize.
“I value my writing and strive to produce the highest quality work I can and so to be considered a finalist was very affirming,” said Shami. “It is an incredible honor to be the first student at the UM School of Law to have been named a finalist.”
Shami’s paper provides an in-depth review of the Accountable Care Organization model of care under the Affordable Care Act. It reviews the statutory language that provides the basis for the Accountable Care Organization model of care and considers the successes, and failures of the model on three main themes: cost of care, quality of care, and access to care.
“I wanted to present my paper in order to bring to light relevant topics in health law, and I was curious to see what others would think of the note,” said Shami. “While the note is legal in nature, it is written to reach an audience across multiple disciplines, including law, public health, business, and medicine.”
Professor Frances Hill is Shami’s faculty advisor and helped him develop the topic and the general framework of the paper.
“Professor Hill also provided me substantive feedback to ensure that the note was thorough, timely, and beneficial to the reader,” said Shami. “Her expertise in the area allowed me to write a note that was targeted and relevant to the topic.”
In addition to his work with the University of Miami Law Review, Shami has served as past president of the Society of Bar & Gavel, as well as a legal intern for the Health Rights Clinic and a research assistant for Professor Caroline Mala Corbin.
The University of California, Berkeley graduate is working towards his joint degree in law and public health at Miami Law.
