Students at GW Law test their skills in competitions every year. No matter the format—alternative dispute resolution, trial advocacy, or appellate advocacy—the contests provide valuable opportunities for students to augment the skills learned in class with realistic training. Within the past year, teams from GW competed and found success in many external competitions that pitted them against teams from across the United States and around the world.
Champions
3Ls Andrew Walter and Michael Wolfe won the 2016 Saul Lefkowitz Trademark Moot Court National Championship and were also selected as the Best Oralist Team. The finals took place in Washington, D.C., at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The team, coached by Professor Roger Schechter, advanced to the National Championship by reaching the finals of the New York City Regional in early February.
Sophia Park and John Lockwood, both 2Ls, swept every possible award at the D.C. Cup Moot Court Competition, sponsored by the D.C. Bar. They defeated Georgetown in the finals to win the competition and also won Best Brief. Mr. Lockwood was additionally selected as Best Oralist.
1L Katelin Shugart-Schmidt won the 2016 National Animal Law Legislative Drafting and Lobbying Competition at Harvard Law School. Ann Porter, JD '15, who also won as a student, offered guidance to Ms. Shugart-Schmidt in preparation for the competition.
Finalists
3L Jasmine Chalashtori and 2L Laura Seferian reached the finals at the 12th Annual K.K. Luthra Memorial Moot Court in Delhi, India at the University of Delhi. Adjunct professor Magin Puig Monsen coached the team, and funding for the competition was made possible through the generosity of Associate Dean for International and Comparative Legal Studies Susan Karamanian and the international travel funding she secured several years ago. Dean Karamanian traveled to the competition to deliver a talk on Success in Moot Court Competitions that she prepared with the support of Assistant Dean David Johnson.
3Ls Monica Porter and George Holton reached the finals of the Robert F. Wagner National Labor & Employment Law Moot Court Competition, where Ms. Porter was named Best Oralist and Mr. Holton was Best Preliminary Round Oral Advocate. Professor Michael Selmi coached the team.
Two teams from GW Law competed in the 8th Annual ABA Forum on Communications Law's First Amendment & Media Law Diversity Moot Court. After individual evaluations, 3L Shirley Qin was selected as a Finalist.
Semi-Finalists
3L Matt Rosenberg and 2L Nicole Sharer advanced to the Giles Rich Intellectual Property Moot Court National Semi-finals at the Federal Circuit. Nicole and Matt reached the national competition by finishing second in the Silicon Valley Regional. At nationals, they won their quarter-final round. Associate Dean John Whealan coached the team.
3L Trevis Niemeyer, 3L Jacqueline Der Ovanesian, and 2L Arslan Sheikh reached the Semi-finals of the Texas Young Lawyers Association National Trial Competition Regional held at American University. They were coached by adjunct professor Paige Boorman.
3L Patrick Fenior, 3L Neha Rao, 2L Thomas Collins, and 2L Irina Majumdar reached the Semi-finals of the Estrella Mock Trial Competition in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Adjunct professor Moses Cook, Executive Director of Law Students in Court, coached the team. The competition is sponsored through the generosity of alumnus Alberto Estrella and his law firm, Estrella LLC. Fourteen teams from around the country competed, including Cal Berkeley, UVA, UCLA, Fordham, Emory, and William & Mary, among others. GW Law students Garrett Henderson, Kelly Marco, and Jacqueline Der Ovanesian wrote the problem under the supervision of adjunct professor Tom Simeone.
2Ls Warren Kessler and Renee Reasoner reached the Semi-finals and won Best Brief at the Seigenthaler-Sutherland Cup National First Amendment Moot Court Competition. Senior Judge Henry Greene coached the team.
3Ls Kristina DiBenedetto and Krista Mancini were Semi-finalists at the Oxford International Intellectual Property Moot Court in Oxford, England. Professor Bob Brauneis coached the team.
Two teams from GW Law competed in the 8th Annual ABA Forum on Communications Law's First Amendment & Media Law Diversity Moot Court. After individual evaluations, 3Ls April Jones, Roderick McClary, and Jude Nwaokobia all reached the Semi-finals.
Other Success
3Ls Michael Jones and Alexandra Saper competed in the Gujarat National Law University Moot Court Competition in India, where Mr. Jones was selected as the Best Oralist. Adjunct professor Nathaniel Bolin coached the team, which traveled abroad with the support of Associate Dean Susan Karamanian.