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A Banner Year for Law School's Competitive Teams

The Law School's Alternative Dispute Resolution, Moot Court, and National Trial teams proved to be formidable competitors at tournaments around the nation during the 2011-12 school year.

Alternative Dispute Resolution Team

In the fall, Laura Brymer '12, Ken McCleod '12, and Joe Kamien '12 earned the title of Mediation Champions at the St. John's Securities Dispute Resolution Triathlon in New York City.

At the ABA Regional Negotiation Competition in Richmond in November, two W&M teams were top finishers. Kate Ward '13 and Sarah Hilbert '13 advanced to the semi-finals and took fourth place; as first-place finishers and regional champions, Matt Deatley '13 and Justin Mahramas '13 advanced to the National Finals in New Orleans in February. There, the two negotiated through three rounds with three different sets of facts dealing with real property law and advanced to the semi-finals and finished in sixth place overall.  Two W&M teams advanced to the semifinals of the Liberty University National Negotiation competition in November. The team of Dominick Littman '13, Mary Button '13, Bailey Roese '13, and Greg Singer '13 placed third; the team of Keith Buzby '14, Jalyce Mangum '13, Demian von Poelnitz '13, and Brian Rothenberg '13 took fourth.

Over spring break, Ashley Heilprin '13 and Jessica Jeanty '13 competed in the National Black Law Students Association International Negotiations Competition. Presented with the facts just hours before each round, they advanced to the competition's semi-finals and took forth place. ADR capped the season in Chicago at the International Academy of Dispute Resolution's International Mediation Tournament.  Jimmy Dougherty '12, Peter Kyle '13, and Mike Bagel '12 were honored as "Outstanding New Team," an honor that recognized the trio as the best of the 25 teams competing in the competition for the first time.

Moot Court Team

The Moot Court Team opened its season at the Pepperdine Law School National Entertainment Law Moot Court Competition. Out of a field of more than 70 competitors, Jimmy Dougherty '12 won the 3rd Best Oralist award.  In October, Ricky Clausi '12, Davis Walsh '12, and James Evans '12 won the Regional 4 qualifier for the American College of Trial Lawyers/New York City Bar Association National Moot Court Championship held in Richmond, and in February, they competed at the National Championships in New York. Also, in January, Clausi '12, Walsh '12, and Evans '12 competed at the Andrews Kurth Moot Court National Championships, a tournament that included only the top 16 moot court teams in the country. W&M won three of its four preliminary rounds, advancing to the quarterfinals.

Zach Withers '12 and Nate Lambeth '12 took top honors at the Atlantic Regional Qualifying Round for the Stetson University International Environmental Moot Court Competition. In addition to the win, the duo also won the tournament's "Best Brief" award, with Withers '12 named the Best Orator of the final round. The win qualified the two to compete in the finals, which featured teams from Australia, Brazil, China, India, Ireland, Nepal, the Ukraine, and Vietnam.  Lambeth '12 and Withers '12 were recognized as having the tournament's second-best brief.

Bryan Gividen '13 and James Gross '13 finished second at the Leroy Hassell, Sr., National Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition at Regent Law School with Gividen '13 earning second best oralist honors.

At March's Ruby R. Vale Interschool Corporate Moot Court Competition hosted by Widener Law School, Jacqueline Rogers '12, Rachel Gillen '13, and Michelle Sudano '13 won "Best Overall Brief" and advanced to the quarterfinal round.  The competition is considered to be one of the nation's premier corporate law tournaments.

Also in March, the team of Jessica Delaney '13 and Tessa Vinson '13 finished second at the Billings, Exum & Frye National Moot Court Competition at Elon Law School. Along with finishing second as a team, Delaney '13 won second best oralist for the preliminary rounds and co-best oralist for the final round.

National Trial Team

The W&M National Trial Team squad of Caitlyn Cotter '12, Janani Iyengar '13, Janet Lee '12, and Emily Riggs '12 won First Place (for the second consecutive year) at the 2011 National Pretrial Competition, sponsored by Stetson University Law School.  In addition, Riggs won three "Best Advocate" awards for her performance in the preliminary rounds, the semi-final round, and the final round of the tournament.

Thomas Garnett '13, Anna Gillespie '13, Peter Nanov '12, and Lindsey Welter '12 represented the team at the American Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Regional Trial Advocacy Competition last October.  William & Mary advanced to the championship round for the third straight year.  The same weekend, the team of Madelyn Buckley '12, Richard Clausi '12, Destiny Harris '12, and Aaron Jones '13 competed at the Puerto Rico Trial Advocacy Competition in San Juan. The team made it to the tournament's semifinal round, with Jones achieving a perfect score in the preliminaries.

The team of Dwayne Barrs '13, Destiny Harris '12, Jason Mackey '12, and Alicia Raines '14 finished third at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament of the National Black Law Students Association's 2012 Thurgood Marshall National Mock Trial Competition. The team defeated the University of Virginia in its final round.

The trial team capped its season with a pair of competitions in March. Ricky Clausi '12, Janet Lee '12, Peter Nanov '12 and Lindsey Welter '12, competed in the inaugural South Texas Mock Trial Challenge, taking home the Outstanding Trial Brief Award. Competing at the Capitol City Challenge Mock Trial Tournament, the team of Madelyn Buckley '12, Caitlyn Cotter '12, Destiny Harris '12 and Aaron Jones '13 advanced to the quarterfinal round.