May 04, 2006
Reception Honors Recent Successes of ADR, Mock Trial, Moot Court and Law Review
A light reception was held in the school's cafe on April 27 to honor the tremendous year of success for the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) team, Mock Trial, Moot Court and the Thomas Jefferson Law Review.
The following is a recap of the recent successes:
Thomas Jefferson School of Law scored another big victory at the State Bar Environmental Negotiation Competition at UCLA in March, completing a banner competition year for TJSL’s ADR program. In fact, it has been a truly amazing year for all of the ADR, Moot Court, and Mock Trial teams that have represented TJSL at various regional and national competitions.
At the annual Environmental Negotiation Competition, the TJSL team of Stephen Howland and Eric Overholt beat 19 teams from 14 other schools, including Boalt Hall, UC Davis, Hastings, UCLA, USF, Santa Clara, Loyola, and Chapman. The win marks the fourth time in the last five years that a TJSL team has finished first or second in this competition and, even more worthy of recognition, it marks the second first place win for TJSL in the last three years.
Left: Chris Sove (left) and Stephen Howland display their awards at a reception to honor the recent successes of the ADR, Mock Trial, Moot Court and Law Review programs.
Right: (From left) Chris Sove, Dean Hasl, Prof. Spiegelman,
Stephen Howland, Eric Overholt, and Kimberly McCabe.
Overholt and Howland played the role of counsel for a defendant who was being sued for causing a massive mudslide that engulfed a mountain town. Interestingly, they only became partners a week before the competition, but performed as if they worked together for years.
“It was a truly impressive performance,” according to Adjunct Professor Paul Spiegelman, ADR team advisor and coach, and director of the Clinical Skills Training Program at TJSL. “They encountered three strong teams, but like skilled veterans, they worked with their negotiating partners, used their problem solving skills, and found ways to make the pie bigger for everyone. It was amazing to watch them use all of their skills to reach a successful outcome, each time competing against skilled, but very different teams.”
Professor Paul Spiegelman remarks on the tremendous success
of the ADR and Moot Court teams.
Spiegelman added that the competition was particularly satisfying because Overholt got to make up for last year when he and then teammate Jill Cremeans narrowly missed the finals. Cremeans, who graduated in 2005, accompanied the team to UCLA to help coach and was glad to see Overholt and Howland face such stiff competition this year so that they could show just how skilled they are.
An additional surprise that weekend came when Dean Rudy Hasl, who happened to be in Chicago on business, came by to support the team and take them out to a well-deserved lunch.
The ADR team’s other successes this academic year include first, second and sixth place at the ABA Regional Negotiation Competition last fall the University of San Diego. Overholt and Kimberly McCabe advanced to the final round with a perfect score before taking first place in the overall competition. Only one point behind, the team of Howland and Chris Sove took second, while the third team of Colleen Carson and Sabrina Stuart took sixth in a field of 24 teams.
ADR members Eric Overholt and Kimberly McCabe
display their recent awards.
The top two teams went on the ABA National Negotiation Competition in Chicago, capturing fourth and fifth place –- that is fourth and fifth place out of all the competing law schools in the country! And, TJSL was the only school in the country that had two teams finishing anywhere near that high. Howland and Chris Sove advanced to the final round, competing against schools like Harvard. Overholt and McCabe took fifth place, narrowly missing putting two TJSL teams in the final round by .67 points. McCabe also was the only female member of a team to advance that far. Students Colleen Carson, Rodolfo Herrera, Sabrina Stuart and Jesse Adriance helped coach these two successful teams.
TJSL’s Mock Trial program, under the direction of Advisor and Coach Jane Siegel, also has experienced an exciting year. The team of Erin Lindquist, Adam Eberts, and Ann Diepenbrock almost tasted victory in the final round at the Texas Young Lawyer’s Association (TYLA) West Coast Regional Trial Competition in Los Angeles in mid February. They had defeated teams from several other law schools, including Whittier, Brigham Young, and the University of San Diego, and headed undefeated into the final round. Unfortunately, the host of the competition, Loyola, squeaked by with the victory.
The TJSL Mock Trial team.
“All of the Mock Trial team participants surpassed themselves and rose to a great challenge,” said Siegel. “In the final round we definitely had the more difficult side of the case and our TJSL Team 1 still got within a point or two of winning. Their hard work and ability to personally challenge themselves served them well.”
Mock Trial coaches Jane Siegel (left) and Alexandra O'Neill praise
the tremendous efforts of the Mock Trial team.
Siegel's teams welcome challenges. Two TJSL Mock Trial teams competed in the ABA Employment Law Division Competition at Southwestern University, where one team -- consisting of Adam Eberts, Ann Diepenbrock, Lisa Dorneker and Alyssa McCorkle -- advanced to the final round. With a strong final round performance, the team finished at the top to take first place.
Another TJSL team fielded by Hawlee Larson, Miguel Valente and Jason Boyer, also competed and deserve recognition for their efforts. Twelve different law schools and 22 teams altogether from the Western region, including California, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, participated in the competition. The case was a wrongful death suit where the parents of a 12-year-old girl sued the county school board because the bus driver let the girl and her sister off on the wrong side of the street from their home. The youngest sister was hit by a speeding SUV as she darted into six lanes of traffic.
“We were the defense in the final round, so the plaintiff had lots of sympathy on their side,” noted Siegel.
TJSL then traveled to compete in the prestigious Sixteenth Annual National Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition at John Marshall Law School in Chicago, an invitation-only event. “We will be competing against the heaviest hitters from all over the country and one law school from New Zealand,” said Siegel prior to the competition. “I look forward to us holding our own well in this ultra-strong field.”
Indeed the team did. The team swept past 22 teams from law schools across the nation, including Harvard, Georgetown and California Western, to take an amazing second place finish. Only one vote in a split 3-2 decision by the judges kept the four-student TJSL team consisting of Erin Lindquist, John Perroni, Adam Eberts and Ann Diepenbrock from capturing first place. Moreover, Lindquist earned additional recognition by receiving the honorary award for "Best Witness."
The TJSL Moot Court teams also made the limelight, having earned a tremendous year as well. The team of Diana Elston and Julie Wilber competed in the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition in Brooklyn, New York, and advanced to the finals. As one of the top 20 teams in the nation to compete in this competition, Elston and Wilber were superb in a crowded "regional" field and took home an award for "Second Best Brief." The team also made history as the first TJSL team to qualify for the nationals.
The Moot Court team of James Binnall and Kraig Jennett continued TJSL's winning streak at Southwestern University School of Law in the annual Roger J. Traynor California Moot Court Competition for California law schools. In their first competition ever, Binnall and Jennett earned third place in the "Best Brief" category, beating out UCLA, USC, Boalt Hall, and USD. Morever, Jennett is one of eight students participating who were recognized for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Oral Argument."
Left: Members of ADR, Law Review, Mock Trial and Moot Court listen to Professor Spiegelman's praises during a light reception
in the cafe.
Right: James Binnall (right), his fellow students and faculty
listen in during the reception.
Students Jeff Burkhart, Hunter Hoestenbach and Andrea Patten also deserved recognition in the Pace National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition in New York. The team reached the quarterfinal round, beating 45 teams nationally and earning three "Best Oralist" awards.
TJSL's Moot Court successes continued when the TJSL team of Patrick Calhoon, Jennifer Hicks and Matthew Berkowitz with Coach Maureen Dawson traveled to Washington, D.C., in March for the Luke Charles Memorial Civil Rights Competition at Howard University. The team completed three grueling back-to-back rounds, advancing to the semifinal round by beating 10 other teams. Advancement to the finals was based upon total number of points earned during the preliminary and semifinal rounds. By the luck of the draw, on two of these rounds TJSL was matched against the number one and number two teams from BYU and Florida State University, making it tough to earn enough points to go to the finals. However, Calhoon earned praise for his style and competency at oral arguments by a Florida appellate judge.
A display of some of the TJSL awards.
“These students were outstanding in the semifinal round in front of the toughest bench that I had ever see,” said Professor Julie Greenberg. “In every round, the judges recognized the team’s mastery of the law, ability to answer extremely difficult questions, and composure under fire. They should be very proud of their performance.”
Last but not least, members the Thomas Jefferson Law Review have been recognized for their hard work this last year. The following students received noteworthy attention:
Gina Austin's student note was cited in the West Virginia Law Review; Elisabeth Corasitini's student note was cited in the Albany Law Journal of Science & Technology and the treatise Chisum on Patents; James Fife's article was cited in an opinion from the Supreme Court of Rhode Island; Andrew Moher's student note was reprinted in the college textbook Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Crime and Criminology; Christopher Ramey's student note was cited in the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy (one of the top Law Reviews in the country) and the Catholic University Law Review; in addition to her winning article in the Thomas Jefferson Law Review to earn the 2006 Burton Award, Jennifer Siverts' student note was cited in the Texas Law Review (one of the very top Law Reviews in the country) and the Mississippi Law Journal; and Amanda Van's student note was cited in the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Labor & Employment Law.
Law Review Editor-in-Chief Christopher Nalls acknowledges
the hard work put forth by his Law Review staff.
Congratulations once again to all the students, coaches and advisors who have worked so hard to earn respect and recognition for TJSL at this year’s competitions and the outstanding journal writings!