BC Law teams in the Jessup, Braxton, European Union and National moot court competitions won various honors and made it to the finals in their respective contests in November and mid-February. The Jessup and EU contestants have advanced.
The team that competed in the 2017 Northeast Regional Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition on February 11-12 not only qualified for the international rounds but also brought home the award for best memorial (or brief), the first time in the last 10 years that the Law School has taken that prize.
“I really can’t overemphasize what an excellent accomplishment this is. All four students did an incredible job,” said Scott R. Magee ’05, who co-coached the team with Jeanne Semivan ’09.
Kendall Dacey, Michael Hanify, Nicholas Green, and Matthew Wilk, all 3Ls, prevailed in early matches in New York City to reach the regional finals, where Columbia Law School got the edge in a close round the judges described as being decided by a “slight advantage.”
Dacey (#5), Hanify (#10), and Green (#18) also made it onto the list of top 20 oralists overall.
Next stop, Washington, DC, in mid-April, where the Jessup team will compete against more than 120 teams from 98 countries.
The EU moot court team advanced to the Regional Finals taking place in Naples, Italy this February. Team members include Saman Zand, Samuel Martin and Alexa Esposito.
Meanwhile, the 2017 team of Moussa Hassoun, Andrew Emerson, and Patrick Kessock reached the finals of the J. Braxton Craven Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition at the University of North Carolina School of Law, denied a championship only by a strong performance by the University of Virginia.
The final round was judged by former Chief Justice Sarah Parker of the North Carolina Supreme Court, Judge Carlos Lucero of the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, and Catherine Eagles, United States District Judge, Middle District of North Carolina.
“The team brought great honor to BC Law,” said Thomas A. Barnico ’80. “It was a great pleasure to be their coach.”
Last November, the BC Law National Moot Court Team of Morgan Sellers, Jennifer Lang, and Rufus Orion also made an impressive showing by winning the New England Regional Competition. Lang was named Best Oralist. The team advanced to the 67th annual nationals in New York, the culmination of more than six months of preparation and arguments by 185 teams from over 120 law schools across the country.
“The top two teams from each of the 14 regional competitions advanced to the February final rounds. BC lost to Tennessee and defeated UCLA, but despite superb performances by all, were knocked out of the running,” said coach Thomas Carey ’65.