Moot Court, Trial Practice teams compete, place at competitions

Even during a pandemic, some aspects of the law school experience remain the same. Moot Court and Trial Practice programs are two that have continued virtually, providing students with opportunities to learn trial strategy--from building a case to shaping persuasive narratives.

This semester, the University of Cincinnati College of Law’s Moot Court and Trial Practice teams practiced and competed in their respective programs across the country. Here’s a round-up of their experiences.

Cincinnati Law’s Moot Court Team of 3L Ariel Shuster and 3L John-Thomas Malone competed in the National Veterans Law Moot Court Competition, the nation’s premier moot court competition focused on veterans’ law, last month. Unique to this competition is that it brings together student teams from across the country to argue cutting edge veterans law issues before panels of distinguished practitioners and judges.

Cincinnati Law’s team was successful, winning the following awards:

• Runner-Up team (out of 28 teams)
• Second Place Petitioner Brief
• Best Oral Advocate: Ariel Shuster (out of 56 advocates)

Cincinnati Law’s team successfully competed in the 2020 Ohio Attorney General's Public Service Mock Trial Competition on November 18. The competition is designed to provide a valuable learning opportunity for Ohio law school students interested in public service careers.

In addition to winning several individual awards, the team took third place over all in the competition, marketing the fourth consecutive year of placing or winning this competition.

Cincinnati Law’s recognitions include

•  Best Attorney: 3L Cecelia Tio in her round
•  Best Attorney: 2L Liam McMillan in his round
•  Best Witness: 2L Rebekah Durham in her round.   

Full acknowledgment and thanks to the entire team: Rebekah Durham, Liam McMillan, Cecelia Tio and Karinne Hill. Thanks also to Bart Cosgrove, Managing Attorney at the OAG's Cincinnati Office, and Lisa Treleven Associate Assistant Attorney General.