Two Elon teams competed in the National Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition at Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, Va., against schools such as William & Mary, Emory, Roger Williams, BYU, Villanova, Cincinnati and Charleston. Elon was the only school to advance two teams to the quarterfinal round. These teams lost very close oral arguments in the quarterfinals, with one team losing to the eventual champion of the competition, Roger Williams School of Law.
The team of Melanie Crenshaw, Ted Johnson and Luke Spencer won the Second Best Brief award, and the team of Miriam Heard, Amy Holthouser and Sean Olson won the Fourth Best Brief award. This achievement is even more noteworthy since Elon was the only competing school which is awaiting approval from the American Bar Association.
Two teams also participated in the Charleston School of Law National Moot Court Competition in Charleston, S.C. Both teams performed exceptionally well, losing close arguments in the preliminary rounds. The teams consisted of Kelly Brooks, Mike Kelly, Erika Hamby, and Norm Leonard. Other teams competing included Mercer, Villanova, Seton Hall and New York Law School. Mercer won both first and second place prizes in the competition.
“We are very proud of the hard work and excellent performances turned in by our students this weekend,” said one of the teams’ coaches, Alan Woodlief, associate dean and associate professor at Elon Law. “Facing competition from some of the best schools around the country, our students confirmed that they are on par with those at any school.” It is expected that many of these team members will compete in competitions during the 2008-2009 academic year, building on the excellent experience and performances they had this year.
In addition to Dean Woodlief, Jim Exum, the law school’s Distinguished Jurist in Residence, and Bonnie McAlister, the school’s Executive Coach in Residence, also worked with the teams. Other faculty members also served on judge panels during practices.
Additional Spring Moot Court Competition Announced
In late March, the law school will compete in the John J. Gibbons Moot Court Competition at Seton Hall University School of Law. The team of Matt Covington, Lindsey DeGuerre, and Kerri Sigler will represent the school.