Students named 2012 Law Day champs

Wayne State University Law School congratulates Law Day Competition champions Dion Roddy and Michael Kiehne. Moot Court held the final round of its 2012 Law Day Competition on March 6 in Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium. This year student competitors addressed a white-collar crime issue, the collective entity doctrine and the pervasive fraud doctrine. Runners-up were Dylan Holland and Olivia Vervaeke. Judges were Michigan Supreme Court Justice Marilyn J. Kelly, '71, Dean Robert Ackerman, and Professor Peter Henning. "The moot court competition is important to me as a law student and future lawyer because it puts me in a position where I have to think on my feet," Roddy said. "While preparation helped me to foresee questions the judges might ask, I could never predict exactly where they would go with questions, and whether they would ask any questions at all. The competition helped me prepare a legal argument keeping all kinds of contingencies in mind. Also, arguing in front of other attorneys, professors and eventually a Michigan Supreme Court justice gave me an opportunity to get over the nervousness of arguing in front of experienced legal professionals before I begin practicing. It is one less thing I have to worry about when I start working as an attorney." Added Kiehne: "I received invaluable feedback on my writing and oral advocacy skills throughout this competition. It allowed me to hone my ability to craft solid arguments and rebut the opposition's contentions." Additional results included: 1st Place Advocate: Steven Craig. 2nd Place Advocate: Amy Fredrickson. 3rd Place Advocate: Dylan Holland. 1st Place Brief: Elizabeth Andary. 2nd Place Brief: Jessica Wayne. 3rd Place Brief: Nick Ranke. Published: Mon, Apr 2, 2012