TOP ROW LEFT TO RIGHT: Austin Franklin 3L, Tené Davis 2L, Melisa Lopez-Acquino 2L, Gloria Contreras-Edin 3L, and Michael Heise 3L. BOTTOM ROW LEFT TO RIGHT: Joel Mullen 2L, Kourtney Wadell 3L, Angela Bennett 3L , and Carrie Doom 3L.
Accomplishment in the Court Room
This spring, four Hamline law students successfully competed in the William C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court in Vienna, Austria. Dave Dederichs 3L, Michael Heise 3L, Casey Nolan 3L, and Helkei Tinsley 3L, were coached by Hamline University School of Law Professor Joe Daly. The Law School, internationally recognized as a leader in alternative dispute resolution, is one of a very few U.S. law schools to compete.
According to Professor Daly, “This competition, considered the most prestigious in the world, is the most intense and difficult experience these students will face in law school. And although no U.S. school has ever won this competition, we constantly challenge ourselves and compare ourselves to the best and brightest from all over the world.”
His opinion is underscored by the legal community. The law firm Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. sponsored the Litigation Skills and International Dispute Resolution Endowment. This funding ensures Hamline’s continued presence at the Vienna competition. Professor Daly serves as the Distinguished Professor to the Endowment. Said Professor Daly of the team’s success, “through the rigors of research, writing the brief, and arguing the case, every Hamline law school participant is a winner.”
Moot Court Winners
Hamline University School of Law co-hosted the regional Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition with the Minnesota chapter of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association in October 2004. Carrie Doom 3L and Angela Bennett 3L received first place in the competition and advanced to Nationals in Dallas, Texas. Doom placed as best oralist. Bipasha Barua 2L, best oralist runner up, and Marshall Lin 3L were semi-finalists. Alumnae Krista Bettinger ’98 and Jamie Cork ’98 coached the teams.
In other competitions, Kourtney Wadell 3L and Joel Mullen 2L placed third in the nation at the ABA-sponsored Negotiation Moot Court national finals in Salt Lake City on February 5 and 6, 2005. The team, coached by professors Ken Fox and Marilynne Roberts, advanced from a regional qualifying competition in November where they won in a tie-breaker calculation. In addition, Hamline law students Karmen McQuitty 2L and Tim Engelbrecht 2L advanced to the second round of the regional competitions. Approximately 195 law schools from across the United States, Canada, and U.S. territories participate in this annual competition.
Siama Chadhary 3L and Bob Venters 2L, coached by Professor Cathy Deal, advanced into the quarterfinal round in the Health Law competition held November 12 and 13, 2004 at Southern Illinois University Law School.
Tené Davis 2L and Austin Franklin 2L, won the award for best petitioner’s brief and placed third at the regional Frederick Douglass Moot Court competition in Columbus, Ohio in January 2005. They competed in the national final rounds in Denver in March 2005.
The team is coached by alumna Dionne (Peart) Hayes ’02 and attorney Fordam Wara of Blackwell Igbanugo P.A.
In the regional Jessup International Law Moot Court competition held in St. Louis, Missouri in February 2005, Mark Betters 3L was chosen as best oralist runner up.
The team of Melisa Lopez-Acquino 2L, Michael Heise 3L, and Gloria Contreras-Edin 3L took second place honors for Best Petitioners’ Brief at the National Hispanic Bar Association’s Annual Moot Court Competition in Dallas, Texas, March 11–12, 2005. Faculty members Tom Romero and Cathy Deal served as coaches. Their accomplishment received recognition at the National Hispanic Bar Association Mid-year Meeting.