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MSU College of Law

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 8, 2011

CONTACT: ERIKA MARZORATI
517/432-6848, marzorat@law.msu.edu

MSU Law Students Win Awards at International Moot Court Competition

East Lansing, MI — Michigan State University College of Law students took second place overall and won the best oralist award at the 30th Annual John Marshall Law School International Moot Court Competition in Information Technology and Privacy Law.

2011MarshallTeam

MSU Law’s Moot Court & Trial Advocacy Board appellate team comprised of Robert Carollo, Alec Kempster, and Edmund Luggen took second place among 24 teams that competed in the event. Luggen also won the Best Oralist award, marking the second consecutive year the honor went to an MSU College of Law student.

“All three team members have worked very hard this semester to arrive at this result,” said Ellen Durkee, executive director of the Board’s appellate teams. “The team spent weeks drafting the brief before the semester even began and then spent even more time preparing for oral argument. Their hard work has certainly paid off.”

Participants’ briefs counted as 50 percent of the total score in each round. “The overall team success was very much a combination of Rob’s strong brief and Alec and Ed’s strong oral advocacy,” said Durkee.

Kempster and Luggen had the opportunity to argue before Michigan Supreme Court Justices Stephen Markman and Marilyn Kelly in the semi-final and final rounds. The championship round panel included four state supreme court justices and the former chief justice of the Illinois Court of Claims. The University of Kansas School of Law ultimately prevailed in a 3-2 decision.

“These Justices asked very difficult questions and both of our oralists handled themselves very well,” Durkee noted. She added that the judges in each round commented on the MSU Law team’s high-quality oral arguments and personal poise.

Teams from Australia, Cameroon, India and 20 U.S. law schools competed in the event, which was held October 27 to 29 in Chicago. This year’s competition problem involved an alleged eavesdropping statute violation and claims of tortious interference with contractual relations and public disclosure of private facts.

The MSU Law Moot Court & Advocacy Board enjoys a strong tradition of success and is earning a national reputation as one of the leading advocacy programs in the country. The Board, which consists of a select group of second- and third-year students, competes against other law schools in appellate and trial competitions hosted by law schools throughout the United States.

Michigan State University College of Law, a leading institution of legal education with a long history of educating practice-ready attorneys, prepares future lawyers to use ethics, ambition, and intellect to solve the world’s problems. As one of only a few private law schools affiliated with a major research university, MSU Law offers comprehensive interdisciplinary opportunities combined with a personalized legal education. After 100 years as a private and independent institution, the affiliation with MSU has put the Law College on an upward trajectory of national and international reputation and reach. MSU Law professors are gifted teachers and distinguished scholars, its curriculum is rigorous and challenging, and its facility is equipped with the latest resources—all affirming MSU Law’s commitment to educating 21st-century lawyers.

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320 Law College Building
East Lansing, MI 48824
www.law.msu.edu

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