Throughout the semester, students have taken home the top spot in three prestigious competitions: the International Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court competition; the National Baseball Arbitration Competition; and the Ruby R. Vale Interschool Corporate Moot Court Competition.
Miami Law students have also achieved high rankings in the ABA Negotiations Competition, the Super Regional Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, the Pace National Environmental Law Competition, George Washington National Security Competition, the Conrad B. Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition, and the Constance Baker Motley Constitutional Law.
Miami Law's Moot Court boards, both domestic and international, are currently ranked 13th in the nation among ABA-accredited school boards.
Lauren Tuckey is a third-year student and President of the Papy Moot Court Board. "Seeing 65 Moot Court Board members unite and achieve so much this year has been extremely gratifying," she said. "Increasing our ranking to 13th among the top law schools in the country is the ultimate testament to what students can achieve."
Papy Moot Court Board member Alicia Kobasky, 2L, was a part of the winning team for the Ruby Vale Corporate Law competition. "We practiced so much that it was the last thing I thought about when I went to bed, and the first thing I thought about when I woke up in the morning," Kobasky said. "We knew we were prepared because each question the judge asked was already a question that we practiced an answer for."
In the international moot court competitions, Miami Law students argued overseas against other students from all over the world, including Romania, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and Switzerland.
"It felt great to win the Frankfurt International Investment Arbitration competition," said Tess deLiefde, 2L. "It was an amazing opportunity to compete internationally and in front of world-renowned arbitrators."
Ted McNamara and Chris Bogren, winners of the interschool ABA Negotiations Competition.
Students prepare for months before competing against other law students in the national and international competitions. The pressure of speaking in front of others is amplified by the extensive legal research and writing that must be done prior to the competition.
"It's quite a large time commitment," said Paula Arias, the Director of the International Moot Court Program. "The students work from the fall semester all the way to the day of the competition. They dedicate a lot of their time to preparing their argument."
Up next for the International Moot Court program are three competitions in the Hague, Netherlands; Vienna, Austria; and Washington, D.C.
2L Lauran San-Roman will be competing in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna, Austria. Over 250 teams from around the world will be competing.
"This is a culmination of 7 months of hard research and practice into two 15-minute rounds, so of course I'm nervous," San-Roman said. "I'm also excited because I think this year's Vis team is stronger than ever."
The Miami Law moot court teams are looking forward to continued success. "I want to teach students how to coach, because I want them to be continuously involved in the program," said Arias. "We are hoping for another successful year."
Miami Law Students Take National and International Spotlight
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