by Chelsea Stein
When you make the decision to attend Michigan State University, someone will undoubtedly tell you, “You’ll make friends for life.” One splendid example of this phenomenon is the 50-year friendship between Elaine Fieldman and Rick Wiener.
As graduates in the Class of 1976 of the Detroit College of Law (now MSU College of Law), Elaine and Rick first met when they were selected to be on the same moot court team—and they’ve stayed friends ever since.
“We had six people on our moot court team: three students from the night program were men and three students from the day program were women,” Elaine recalled. “I learned so much from that program, having to argue the case, work with a peer mentor, write the brief. And I made a good friend and gained experience working as a team. It’s just like working in a law firm.”
“My skillset was so sharpened and really put to the test by my experiences in moot court,” Rick added. “And from a human standpoint, the six of us developed a set of relationships that has, in a number of cases, gone far beyond law school. Elaine even facilitated a 40th reunion for our moot court team with our faculty advisor. I have so many wonderful memories.”
With a shared desire to support the next generation of lawyers, these lifelong friends have now teamed up once again. Elaine, Rick and his wife, Raj, have given generous gifts to launch the MSU College of Law Moot Court Endowment, giving back to the program that had such a lasting impact on their lives.
“I’ve read the news about how well the moot court program is doing nationally and how much it has changed since we were there,” said Elaine, who retired as partner of Barris, Sott, Denn and Driker law firm. “It’s been great to see how [the program] has mushroomed in the college and starting this endowment seemed like a perfect fit.”
Rick and Raj spent their careers in a blend of local and state government roles and private practice, running their own firm from 1991 until their retirement in 2016. Like Elaine, their contribution is about deepening the impact of this successful program to ensure it will continue to thrive for years to come.
“Moot court at MSU has morphed into something exponentially more dynamic than when I was there,” Rick said. “I recall there was only one national moot court competition, which Elaine and I were both in. And now there are so many more and the College of Law has been thriving. We want to make sure it can continue to be a robust program for law students.”
Today, MSU’s College of Law is considered a national leader for its moot court program. It ranked No. 6 this year among the nation’s top 200 law schools, marking the seventh consecutive year in the top 16. The program comes with a legacy of being an intense and rewarding training ground for future lawyers—and that’s something that Elaine and Rick can attest to.
“My first two jobs out of law school were in appellate courts. So, moot court being an appellate argument was definitely helpful,” Elaine said. “I always loved working on appellate cases, and I think I got that because of moot court.”
While Rick’s career didn’t involve trials or arguing cases, he says his time in the program was pivotal.
“Moot court was a quintessential part of sharpening my skillset, both oral and advocacy. The quick response, the writing—you name it. It all mattered. I would not have been as good in my career.”
The endowment marks the latest example of how these alumni generously support their alma mater. Each have created scholarship funds in their names to support future lawyers, including the Elaine Fieldman Endowed Scholarship and the Richard and Raj Wiener DCL Legacy Scholarship.
Their hope is that fellow alumni will also be inspired to contribute to the endowment, whether they participated in moot court or know someone who did. Elaine, Rick and Raj all championed a notion of “giving back feels good.”
“The moot court program now has national bragging rights, and I want to see that continue. It’s one of the flags that we can parade around with and do it proudly,” Rick said. “When you give to this program, you give to something that adds value in so many directions.”
Raj added, “When you give access to the knowledge that helps people chase their dreams, that feels good. And not all knowledge comes from a textbook.”
“Giving back is also a way to say, ‘thank you’ to the institution,” Elaine said. “I want others to have this great experience that I had. Let’s give other students this great opportunity.”
MSU’s College of Law will be celebrating the endowment and recognizing Elaine, Rick and Raj at the College of Law’s Castle Boardroom (room 343) on Nov. 6. Alumni and friends are welcome to attend the event and observe the moot court.
Alumni who wish to serve as a volunteer judge for the event can complete this form here.
Donors seeking information on how to make a gift to the College of Law Moot Court Endowment can email alumni@law.msu.edu.