Wayne Law announces winners of Moot Court Arthur Neef Competition

– Photo courtesy of Wayne Law


Wayne State University Law School students Brandon Barlog of Macomb Township and Lauren Potocsky of Northville won the Wayne Law Moot Court Arthur Neef Competition finals on Monday, Nov. 16.

Barlog and Potocsky competed against Linda Cleary of Canton and Olivia Vizachero of Allen Park.

This year's Moot Court team comprises 36 junior members and 35 senior members. All junior members are required to compete in teams of two members for four in-house oral arguments and to write an appellate brief.

After arguing in the in-house competition, eight teams moved on to quarterfinals. Four teams then moved on to semifinals and two teams to the finals.

Quarterfinal matchups were:

-Barlog and Potocsky v. Michael McCullough of Chesterfield Township and Joseph Yaccarino of Troy.

-Michael Cassar of Farmington Hills and Amy Huang of Farmington Hills v. Matthew Paradiso of Royal Oak and Stephen Reaume of Grosse Pointe Farms.

-Cleary and Vizachero v. Elaina Bailey of Taylor and Marissa Fillmore of Midland.

-Sarah Cravens of Ypsilanti and Jonathan Demers of Detroit v. Natalie Ghannam of Livonia and Christopher Rambus of Detroit.

Semifinal matchups were:

-Barlog and Potocsky v. Paradiso and Reaume.

-Cassar and Cravens v. Cleary and Vizachero.

Judges for the finals were Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein; Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Elizabeth L. Gleicher, Wayne Law class of 1979; Mark Granzotto, class of 1978; U.S. District Court Judge Stephen J. Murphy III, Eastern District of Michigan; and Michigan Court of Appeals Chief Judge Michael J. Talbot.

Amy Neville is faculty advisor. Wayne Law student Michelle Champane of Grosse Pointe is moot court chancellor and Zena Fares of Grand Blanc is vice chancellor. Junior member advisor is Haba Yono of West Bloomfield, senior member advisor is Gina Shkoukani of Bloomfield Hills, outside competitions director is Aris Papaioannou of Livonia and editor-in-chief is James Buster of Rochester Hills.

Other awards given were:

-Top individual in oral advocacy first, Rambus; second, Vizachero; third, Barlog; fourth, Demers and fifth, Baxter.

-Top individual in brief writing first, Cravens; second, Huang; third, Paradiso; fourth, Vizachero and fifth, Demers

-Top teams, overall first, Barlog and Potocsky; second, Cleary and Vizachero; third, Cravens and Demers; fourth, Cassar and Huang; fifth, Paradiso and Reaume.

2016 outside competitions teams will be:

-Robert F. Wagner National Labor and Employment Law Moot Court Competition in New York City Rambus and Potocsky.

-Jerome Prince Memorial Evidence Competition in New York City Paradiso and Reaume.

-Cardozo/BMI Entertainment and Communications Law Moot Court Competition in New York City Megan Baxter of Grosse Pointe Farms and Demers.

-Thurgood A. Marshall Memorial Moot Court Competition in Washington, D.C. Ian Evans of Ann Arbor and Huang.

-Billings, Exum & Frye National Moot Court Competition in Greensboro, N.C. Alex Monahan of Rochester Hills and Vizachero.

Published: Thu, Dec 17, 2015