Moot Court Duo Wins National Sports Law Competition
William & Mary Moot Court team members Johnny O'Kane '09, at right, and Lawrence Perrone '10 were awarded first place in the 2008 Tulane Law School Mardi Gras Invitational Sports Law Competition on Feb. 1, after three days of oral argument. William & Mary gained the title by defeating the University of Wisconsin before a nationally recognized panel of experts in sports law at the John Miner Wisdom Memorial Courthouse, seat of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in New Orleans, LA. The national sports law tournament drew a field of 36 teams from across the country, including competitors from NYU, Duke, and the University of California (Hastings).
O'Kane and Perrone advanced to the final round by defeating West Virginia University before a three judge panel at the federal courthouse for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Prior to advancing to the Final Four, the team defeated Florida Coastal in the quarterfinals and the University of Maryland in the octofinal round.
Perrone credited the team's competitive nature with the victory. "We got better every round, and each of us stepped up when we had to," said Perrone. O'Kane added that "once we got to the Final Four, it became all about bringing home a title for the Law School - well, that and being in New Orleans during Mardi Gras." Both acknowledged the support of the entire William & Mary community, with Perrone noting that "from Dean Reveley on down, people were willing to come out and judge practice rounds - and in the end, that's what made the difference." The pair are coached by Adjunct Professor Douglas E. Miller '95; Miller, Dean Reveley, and Professor Glenn George judged practice rounds.
Perrone, a third-year student from Jacksonville, FL, serves as the Moot Court Team's Lead Tournament Justice. O'Kane, a second-year student from Altadena, CA, is on the staff of the William and Mary Law Review in addition to being a member of the Moot Court team.