The current Moot Court Executive Board includes (l-r) Calder Burgam, Meghan Knorp, Dominica Convertino, Fatima Dakroub, Amanda Navarre, and Emily Barr (not pictured is Rebecca Hershock).
Numerous Wayne State University Law School students competed in several moot court competitions locally and across the country. Those students and competitions are as follows:
William & Mary Spong Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition
Chloe Brueck (2L), TK Khan (2L), and Alexis Zerbst (2L) competed at the William & Mary Spong Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition on February 17. Brueck and Khan competed as oralists (while Zerbst served as the team’s brief writer). The competition took place in Williamsburg, Virginia.
The William B. Spong Moot Court Tournament is William & Mary Law School’s signature invitational moot court tournament that brings together top-ranked schools and judges from across the nation to debate current constitutional issues. The first invitational tournament was held in 1972 and rapidly became one of the leading moot court tournaments in the mid-Atlantic region, regularly drawing attendees from law schools across the United States.
The Spong Tournament is named for William B. Spong, Jr., an esteemed jurist, politician, and former Dean of William & Mary Law School from 1976 to 1985. Dean Spong ranks among Virginia’s most honored and capable statesmen, educators, and advocates. Spong studied at Hampden-Sydney College before receiving his LLB from the University of Virginia in 1947. After being admitted to the bar, Spong pursued post-graduate studies at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Returning to the United States, he accepted a lecture post at the College of William & Mary before entering private practice in Portsmouth, Virginia.
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Robert F. Wagner National Labor & Employment Law Moot Court Competition
Katie Davis (2L) and Max Rosen (2L) both competed as oralists at the Robert F. Wagner National Labor & Employment Law Moot Court Competition on March 3. The competition took place in New York City.
The Wagner Competition is the nation’s largest student-run moot court competition and the premier national competition dedicated exclusively to the areas of labor and employment law. The Moot Court Association sponsors this competition in honor of the late United States Senator, Robert F. Wagner, our distinguished alumnus.
—UCLA National Cybersecurity Law Moot Court Competition
Erik Kandah (2L) and Aleksandra Luca (2L) both competed as oralists at the UCLA National Cybersecurity Law Moot Court Competition on March 4.
UCLA School of Law Cybersecurity Moot Court Competition is an annual external moot court competition open to all law schools, exploring cutting edge issues in the field of cyber law.
—McGee National Civil Rights Law Moot Court Competition
Micah Wright (2L) and Akshita Verma (2L) both competed as oralists at the McGee National Civil Rights Law Moot Court Competition from March 1-3. The pair advanced to the semi-final rounds of the competition.
The William E. McGee National Civil Rights Moot Court Competition is an inter-scholastic appellate moot court competition. Its goals are to promote interest in all areas of civil rights law and to help interested students develop the oral advocacy and writing skills essential to be successful appellate practitioners.
—Michigan State University College of Law’s Gender and Sexuality Moot Court Competition (GSMCC)
Amia Jackson (2L) and Lauren Moine (2L) both competed as oralists at Michigan State University College of Law’s Gender and Sexuality Moot Court Competition (GSMCC) on March 18 & 19. The pair advanced to the semi-finals of the competition, and Lauren tied for Second Place in receiving the competition’s “Best Oralist” award.
The Gender and Sexuality Moot Court Competition grants MSU Law students the opportunity to gain experience writing and arguing a current legal issue against teams from law schools across the country.
—Wayne Law’s Winter 2023 In-House Moot Court Competition
Meghan Hough (3L) won Wayne Law’s Winter 2023 In-House Moot Court Competition on March 5, 2023 after facing off against Holly Gubachy (2L) in the competition’s final round.
—Brooklyn Regional ABA National Moot Court
A Wayne Law moot court team qualified for the national final rounds of the American Bar Association’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition to be held in Washington D.C. in April. The team of third-year students Amanda Navarre, Calder Burgam, and Brian Sarnacki (primary brief writer) were one of four schools declared winners of the Brooklyn Regional held February 16-18.
The team also won the 2nd place brief award, Amanda Navarre won the 2nd place oralist award, and Calder Burgam won the 4th place oralist award. The team was undefeated in the regional, beating teams from Ohio State University Law School, University of North Carolina Law School, University of Colorado Law School, and Seton Hall Law School. The Brooklyn regional had a total of 32 teams competing.
This year a total of 173 teams from 100 ABA-approved law schools across the country will compete in six regionals, with the four winners of each regional advancing to the final rounds in Washington D.C.
As one of the most prestigious moot court competitions in the county, the ABA’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition emphasizes the development of oral and written advocacy skills through a realistic appellate advocacy experience. The hypothetical appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court this year involves two issues: whether there is a First Amendment academic speech exception to the rule in Garcetti v Ceballos for the in-class speech of a college instructor and whether a college may compel an instructor to communicate a message endorsing a viewpoint that conflicts with his academic views.
“As soon as we finished writing our brief, we began practicing three days a week. We’re lucky to have great coaches in Amy Neville and Monica Batsford. We also benefited from the feedback of local practitioners, Wayne Moot Court alumni, and Wayne Law faculty who were incredibly generous in giving their time and sharing their expertise as guest judges. After facing questioning from folks like Professor Weinberg, we were ready for anything,” said Burgam—a third-year law student.
The experience enlightened him and he has advice for his fellow students, “If you are looking for a law school experience that will help you become a well-rounded lawyer, it’s tough to beat Moot Court. The strongest Moot Court competitors are strong writers and exceptional oralists. They are deeply prepared while remaining flexible and quick on their feet. They can explain complex details of a case without losing sight of the big picture. This competition has been a great opportunity to hone those legal skills at the highest level.”
The students will travel to Washington, D.C. in April to compete in the national competition.
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