The Miami Law moot court team of Daniel Halperin, 3L, Daniel Narciso, 2L, and Adam Stolz, 2L (who also served as the brief writer) were runners-up in the 25th annual Duberstein National Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition - one of the largest and most prestigious tournaments in which the Charles C. Papy, Jr. Moot Court Board competes. They lost to the University of Florida in the final round. The team also received a brief honorable mention award, and the second team of Eli Gordon, Sarah Usman, and Suzanne Aldahan, all 3Ls, advanced to the final day of the competition.
“We spent many long nights over winter break and through the semester discussing the competition problem and undergoing many practice rounds, but all of that paid off when we made it to the Finals and subsequently won an Outstanding Brief Award,” said Stolz.
The Duberstein competition takes place in New York City and focuses each year on timely issues of bankruptcy law and is sponsored by the American Bankruptcy Institute.
This year 48 teams competed, making this the largest single site appellate moot court competition. Nearly 200 lawyers and judges helped to judge the competition, which included eight rounds of arguments. In addition to New York area bankruptcy judges, the ABI brought in a dozen bankruptcy judges from around the nation.
The teams were coached by Professor Patricia Redmond, JD ’79, director of Miami Law’s Bankruptcy Assistance Clinic.
"Being able to participate in this competition was truly an honor,” said Narciso. “The coaches, particularly Professor Patricia Redmond, created a familiar environment that enabled us to perform at our best. It was a great experience I won't soon forget."
The Duberstein Moot Court Competition promotes and recognizes the finest oral and written advocacy on significant issues in bankruptcy practice. It is also sponsored by St. John’s University School of Law.
“Our victory extends beyond our immediate team; both the second place finish and the Outstanding Brief award are shared with our coaches, the many other local practitioners and judges that volunteered to help our team conduct practice rounds, and all of our fellow students that helped us prepare,” said Stolz. “This was a serious team effort from coaches to participants, and I am thankful to be a part of such an incredible team and experience.“
“I enjoyed working with Dan and Adam,” said Halperin. “We worked very well together, and I'm glad we were able to make the U proud.”
More on Moot Court and Mock Trial at Miami Law.
