Members of the Charles Papy, Jr. Moot Court Board continue to distinguish themselves this year with outstanding competition results at the national level. Miami Law’s 3L team of Kyle Ohlenschlaeger and Renee Kramer won the 39th Annual Irving R. Kaufman Memorial Moot Court Competition held at Fordham University School of Law. They beat out 24 teams from around the country and were coached by attorney Justin Prociv, JD ’03, of the law firm Lapin & Leichtling.
"Competing in various moot court competitions is one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in law school,” said Ohlenschlaeger. “Countless hours of work went into preparing for the Kaufman Competition and I could not be happier with the outcome.”
The Irving R. Kaufman Memorial Moot Court Competition is held in honor of Judge Kaufman, a Fordham alumnus who served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit for many years, including seven years as Chief Judge. The competition offers teams the opportunity to test appellate advocacy skills before leading jurists, securities regulators, academics, and practitioners. In years past, the Kaufman Competition has attracted such distinguished final round panelists as Justice Antonin Scalia, Justice Byron White, notable Circuit Judges, leading Securities and Exchange Commission officials, and influential securities law academics and practitioners.
“Kyle and I entered this competition with the mindset that we were in it to win it,” said Kramer. “This commitment began with dividing up the two issues on appeal, individually researching them, and drafting persuasive arguments for our brief. After we submitted our brief, we met regularly with our coach, Justin Prociv, who was exceptionally supportive and motivating and he took the responsibility of coordinating practice rounds in front of practitioners so we could deliver our arguments.”
The final round panel for the competition included Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., of the Supreme Court of the United States; Judge Paul J. Kelly, Jr., of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; Judge Debra Ann Livingston, of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; Judge Reena Raggi, of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; and Judge Jane R. Roth, of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
“It was an absolute honor to argue before such a distinguished panel of federal circuit court judges and Justice Alito in the championship round,” said Kramer. “The memory of arguing before them and then sitting next to Justice Alito and his family over dinner will be one I hold onto forever.”
“I am extremely grateful that I have a chance to be recognized for the efforts that I have put into preparing for and competing in the Kaufman Competition, and am proud of the way Renee and I represented the University of Miami. To take part in a final round that included such an extremely prestigious panel is an experience that I will never forget,” said Ohlenschlaeger.
