The moot court program at Michigan State University’s College of Law offers an intense and rewarding training ground for future lawyers. Second- and third-year students prepare briefs and argue both sides of complicated legal issues before an appellate court, all while competing against other top law schools at regional and national events.
As this year’s competition season ends, we’re celebrating many victories for MSU. Spartan lawyers excelled across five recent moot court competitions, earning a national championship title, a regional championship title, two best brief awards, and two best oralist awards. In fact, three of the wins took place at different events on March 20-22, putting a new spin on March Madness.
“Our program consistently places high in the national moot court rankings,” said Jennifer Copland, associate clinical professor of law and director of MSU Law’s competitions program. “But what really stands out is that these results show strength across the program, with a high percentage of our competitors earning awards and top place finishes.”
MSU earned first place at the 21st Annual National Moot Court Competition in Child Welfare and Adoption Law, hosted by Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio. Sara Ojala, ’27, Kaeli Gard, ’27, and Grace Gorsline, ’27, made history as the first Spartan team to win at this event. The team was also recognized with best overall brief and Ojala earned best final round oralist.
“Our program is truly one of a kind and prepared us to succeed on the national level,” Gard said, who received an award for sixth place oralist overall. “All of the support from my teammates as well as the board of advocates made this victory possible."
MSU was also represented at this event by Gabrielle Sheets, ’26, and Chloe Vomastek, ’27, who were semifinalists. Sheets received an award for tenth place oralist overall. MSU’s two teams also faced each other in a close semifinal round.
Meanwhile, in Newark, New Jersey, an MSU team reached the final four at the John J. Gibbons Criminal Procedure Moot Court Competition hosted by Seton Hall University School of Law. Rory Spence, ’26, Madelyn Heisler, ’27, and Jacklyn Knapp, ’27, finished in the semifinals among 40+ teams and received an award for best respondent brief.
“Competing on behalf of Michigan State University College of Law is a great privilege and a responsibility none of us take lightly,” the team shared about their experience. “Our coaches, teammates and faculty invest so much time and energy into preparing us for these competitions, and it is an incredible feeling to be able to bring home points for our program and trophies to hang in our moot court office. This is a storied program with a long history of national success, and we are so proud to be a part of that story.”
The same weekend, MSU’s own 5th Annual Gender and Sexuality Moot Court Competition was held virtually and featured 32 teams from 22 law schools. Spartans Natalie Prestegaard, ’27, and Aubrey Brolsma, ’27, finished second place, with Brolsma also earning second place oralist. A second MSU Law team of Olivia Grates, ’27, and Riley Houldsworth, ’27, were quarterfinalists.
Prestegaard and Brolsma said their biggest takeaway from the experience is a renewed drive to fight for justice. “[This drive] applies for us as a team to keep fighting, keep competing, and get a win, but as an experience in the law around gender and sexuality, this served to show that there is a new generation of skilled litigators coming into being who will be prepared to fight for those affected by the current moment’s backslide on women’s and LGBTQ+ rights.”
Spartan lawyers also excelled this year at the National Appellate Advocacy Competition, a premier event hosted by the American Bar Association where competitors simulate an appeal to the United States Supreme Court. At regionals in February, Lucas Jorgens, ’27, Nicky Lee, ’27, and Rachel Woods, ’26, competed virtually and took first place. Woods also received best oralist. The team went on to compete at nationals in Chicago, Illinois on April 9-11, and finished 10th among 24 national finalist teams.
Finally, a team from MSU also reached the semifinals at the McGee National Civil Rights Moot Court Competition, hosted virtually by the Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Diana Ramos, ’26, Stephanie Golphin, ’26, and Leaha Viscounte, ’27, competed among 16 teams.
Copland, who coached two of the standout teams this semester, reflected that no matter the outcome, Spartan lawyers put in an extraordinary amount of effort to uplift one another and enjoy the entire experience.
“These students all work incredibly hard, not only for their own team but also helping other teams prepare for competition.”
Spence, Heisler and Knapp echoed this by saying they’ve learned that having fun is a key piece to moot court. “While moot court is a competitive environment, we have always found that when you are relaxed and having fun at these competitions, your performance will improve. There is a tremendous amount of stress, energy, and time that goes into writing a winning brief and practicing a winning argument, but that pressure is best utilized in the weeks leading up to the competition. These competitions are supposed to be enjoyable, and we enjoyed our experience very much.”
