Moot Court

Mercer Law School’s Moot Court Program for 2005-2006 proved once again why Mercer’s Moot Court Program is among the best in the Nation.

In February, Mercer Law School competed once again in the Gabrielli Family Law Competition in Albany, New York, a competition Mercer has won in past years. Following in the footsteps of previous Mercer teams in Gabrielli, this year’s Mercer teams won the Best Brief and Best Oralist awards and came within a hair’s breadth of making a clean sweep of the competition. The team of Leslie Cadle, Thomas Gore, and James Robson was honored with the Best Brief award and advanced to the semi-finals. The team of Will Fleenor, Aynsley Harrow, and Ken Smith advanced to the final round. Aynsley Harrow was named Best Oralist in the competition.

In March, two other Mercer teams traveled to Wilmington, Delaware, for the Vale Corporate Law Competition. The team of Jason Blanchard, Robert Glass, and Jennifer Richter performed well in the preliminary rounds, and the team of Barton Black, Jacob Massee, and Tiffany Williams went all the way to the finals. In arguments before members of the Delaware Supreme Court and Chancery Court, they were narrowly defeated in a rematch with NYU, whom they had soundly trounced in the semi-finals.

The team of Mary Weeks, Darl Champion, and Matthew Wilson represented Mercer well at the Gibbons Criminal Procedure Competition, where they won Best Brief and advanced to the semi-finals before losing to a very strong Boston College team.

At the Georgia Intrastate Competition in Athens, Georgia, the team of Kate Kroll, Madison Roberts, and Natalie Sacha argued several impressive times in the preliminary rounds. The team of Andy Cohen, Karen Glidewell, and Laura Harper advanced to the semi-finals.

Three third-year students competed at the National Moot Court Competition. At the regional competition in Atlanta, Georgia, Zach McEntyre, Ann-Patton Nelson, and Brett Thompson swept the competition. They took first place and were awarded Best Brief. Ann-Patton Nelson was named Best Oralist in the Preliminary Rounds and Zach McEntyre was named Best Oralist in the Final Round. The team advanced to the National Competition in New York City and represented Mercer well in that prestigious arena.

Mercer also went to the Vanderbilt First Amendment Competition in Nashville, Tennessee for the first time. Competitors Elizabeth Dees and Samantha DiPolito made an impressive showing in the preliminary rounds and built a solid foundation on which future Mercer competitors will build next year.

The Moot Court Board wrapped up the year with the annual Hugh Lawson First-Year Oral Argument Competition. Over sixty-five first-year students competed in this optional competition. The competition culminated with the final round between Januan Ivy and Eric Trivett before the Honorable Hugh Lawson. First-year student Januan Ivy won the competition and he was extended an invitation to join the Moot Court Board.