Over the past weekend, the SVSU Moot Court team went further than ever before while competing at the national competition at the Florida International University College of Law in Miami.
Eighty teams from across the country competed at the American Collegiate Moot Court Association’s national competition. To compete at the national level, the SVSU teams had qualified at the Great Lakes Regional, held at SVSU in November.
Vanguard photo | Rachel Stocki
From left: Jacob Mojica, Rachel Cahill, Julie Keil, Rachel Stocki and Samantha Jackson.
Moot Court is offered at SVSU as a three-credit class, and gives any student the opportunity to understand the court processes. Students pair up in teams to create arguments and legal briefs, and then use those to compete in a simulated Supreme Court setting. It is an active class that focuses more on developing skills rather than lecturing.
Political science senior Samantha Jackson and business senior Rachel Stocki ranked 21st out of 80 teams at nationals, which was a pool that had been condensed down from the original 372 teams.
Political science junior Rachel Cahill and political science senior Jacob Mojica received 59th at the national competition.
“It is a program that challenges everyone who takes it, regardless of future occupational goals,” Cahill said.
This was Cahill’s first year in Moot Court, and despite nerves before the competition, she said her experience was incredible and taught her a lot.
“I learned crucial skills that will aid me in law school such as how to brief cases and assemble arguments,” she said. “I also enhanced my public speaking skills.”
Political science senior Samantha Jackson feels as though the success of the Moot Court team at SVSU builds the university’s reputation as being nationally competitive.
“Moot Court has been one of the most challenging activities I’ve done,” Jackson said. “The most significant skill I gained is the ability to quickly – and confidently – answer impromptu questions from the judges during my argument.”
Political science professor Julie Keil, the Moot Court and Law Club adviser, was very proud of the successes that the teams brought.
“This was our best year at nationals and both teams received a lot of positive comments for their professionalism and their behavior,” Keil said.
Of the teams that went to the national competition, Rachel Cahill is the only one that will be returning the following year. Stocki, Mojica and Jackson will be graduating, but Keil believes that they have exciting futures ahead of them.
“Moot Court is crucial for prelaw students. It’s a hands-on way to interact with the law and build relevant skills, such as case briefing, argument writing and public speaking,” Jackson said. “It’s a stellar academic and competitive challenge for any student looking to learn more about constitutional law or speaking.”