Community Support Enables Law Student Success
By Chelsea Stein
The Spartan community is an unwavering force that is known to all. We stand together, collaborate across disciplines and mentor one another because we believe in the power of collective strength.
A great example of this can be seen within the College of Law’s top-ranked moot court program. Michigan State University faculty, alumni and industry partners help students make their mark, coaching them on how to deliver extraordinary oral arguments and preparing them to be the next generation of advocates.
“Moot court competitions closely resemble the challenges of handling complex legal cases in practice, reinforcing the need for a partnership-oriented approach to problem solving,” said MSU alumnus Ryan Foley, who is the chief legal officer at Acrisure, a global financial services and technology company, headquartered in Grand Rapids. “The skills developed—such as strong presentation, persuasive advocacy and the ability to respond effectively in high-stakes situations—are essential for any aspiring litigator.”
With Acrisure behind him, Foley recently gave back to the Spartan community by mentoring a team of MSU Law students participating in multiple moot court competitions this spring. The team took first place and earned top awards for oral arguments at the Shapero Cup Regional event and placed in the nation’s top 16 at the Duberstein Bankruptcy event.
Both competitions cover significant and complex issues in bankruptcy and provide students with an opportunity to practice oral arguments before prominent bankruptcy practitioners. The national Duberstein competition event is hosted at St. John’s University School of Law in New York, where Foley earned his Master of Laws in Bankruptcy. Being familiar with the event, Foley knew that MSU Law hadn’t competed in recent years and brought the idea forward.
“I saw this as a valuable opportunity to reintroduce the school to the event and provide students with a platform to develop their advocacy skills,” he said. “Additionally, this competition offers excellent national exposure for MSU Law, particularly on the East Coast, further enhancing the school's presence in the legal community.”
Foley also tapped Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, a New York-based law firm, to team up with him in coaching and financially assisting the student team to prepare and compete. Together, they coached the students through several regional competitions, like the Shapero Cup, on their way to nationals.
“Skadden is one of Acrisure’s trusted law firm partners,” he explained. “Given their strong bankruptcy practice, they were a natural fit for this initiative. Once approached, they were more than willing to lend their expertise and support, further strengthening our collaboration.”
From Skadden’s Corporate Restructuring practice, Evan Hill, partner, and Bram Strochlic, associate, joined Foley in working with the students from December to March. They served as practice judges in weekly training sessions and offered constructive feedback to help the students hone their oral arguments.
“It has been an incredibly rewarding experience, especially since it was my first time participating in such a capacity,” Hill said. “Over the course of the numerous weekly practice sessions, I saw [the students’] growth and confidence develop along with their understanding of some particularly nuanced and complicated bankruptcy-related issues, which was particularly exciting and meaningful.”
Foley added: “Our approach has been highly collaborative, emphasizing a strong team dynamic that included the students, myself, MSU contributors and the Skadden team. Everyone involved embraced a team-oriented mindset, which made the experience even more impactful and enriching for all.”
Jennifer Copland, associate clinical professor of law and director of MSU Law’s competitions program, was a critical member of the effort, serving as faculty lead and dedicated mentor. Since 2009, she has taught MSU’s moot court competition and takes pride in coaching multiple teams each semester.
“Between January and March this year, I will have coached six teams at five competitions,” Copland shared. “Having supporters like Acrisure and Skadden step in and offer to sponsor a team allows us to provide more opportunities [to students] and strengthens our visibility and prestige in national competitions.
“Even more exciting,” she continued, “is to see the moment when everything comes together for students, and, successes like those achieved at Shapero Cup, are confidence-building moments that students will take forward into their careers.”
Beyond moot court, Spartan community support also comes in the form of internships and other career opportunities. Foley says Acrisure has proudly partnered with MSU Law in this realm too.
“This marks our third year offering a summer legal internship program to MSU Law students, reinforcing our commitment to fostering the next generation of legal professionals,” he said. “Through this program, students gain practical exposure to an in-house legal environment, develop essential skills and build connections that can support their career growth.”
Across each of these experiences, students gain valuable skills while alumni, faculty and partners give back to enable their success. It’s this kind of enrichment that allows the Spartan community to continue to thrive.