For the second straight year, the Charles C. Papy, Jr. Moot Court team finished as finalists at the Robert Orseck Memorial Moot Court Competition. The team, consisting of rising 3Ls Alexis Phelps and Clara Tomé, argued in front of Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos G. Muñiz and Justices Renatha Francis, John D. Couriel, Charles T. Canady, Jorge Labarga, Jamie R. Grosshans, and Meredith L. Sasso.
“Being a finalist was such an honor because Clara and I, along with our coaches, had worked so hard to get to this point. It was surreal to argue in front of the Florida Supreme Court at such an early stage of my career and competing at Orseck is an experience I will never forget,” said Phelps. “Above all else, the final round was fun and exciting! Having the support of our coaches, faculty, and alumni sitting behind us at the final round truly meant so much to us.”
The competition stresses appellate advocacy and culminates with oral arguments held at the annual convention of the Florida Bar. Each team submits a brief based on the moot court problem. The Florida Supreme Court hears the oral arguments, as well as members of the State District Court of Appeal, Florida Circuit Court judges, Florida County Court judges, and members of the Bar. This year, twelve law schools participated in the two-day competition.
“After we submitted our appellate brief, we had a little over two weeks to prepare for oral arguments,” said Tomé. “We started off by outlining the points we want to highlight in our oral argument and getting feedback from our coaches. In just a few days, we were doing practice oral argument in front of practitioners, other moot court members, and professors. The feedback and time our coaches and practice round judges dedicated to us was incredibly helpful and contributed to our success in the competition.”
Freddi Mack, J.D. ’14, and Deesha Smart, J.D. ’20, both former moot court members, coached the team.
“Our coaches were incredible and would spend almost every night with us in practice rounds with local practitioners or by workshopping our arguments as a team,” said Phelps. “The attention to detail of all of our guest judges and our coaches really helped us refine our arguments to the point where we were comfortable with the limits of our arguments by the time we reached the competition.”
The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division unanimously elected to memorialize the annual state moot court competition after Robert Orseck, a noted appellate attorney who met his untimely death in June 1978. Orseck contributed substantially to developing the common law in Florida through his appellate practice.
“Making it to the finals was so exciting,” said Tomé. “I felt that with each round we advanced in, our oral advocacy got better and better. Arguing in front of the Florida Supreme Court was an unforgettable experience and the highlight of my time in law school.”
Read more about Miami Law’s moot court organizations.
