News Release
April 17, 2007

Thomas Jefferson Moot Court Team Wins Prestigious Traynor Trophy

Bests Teams from Twelve Other West Coast Law Schools

SAN DIEGO -- The Thomas Jefferson Moot Court Society team of Diana Elston, Clayton Griessmeyer and Joesph Visic coached by Melissa Dorko and Shaun McGrady won the Roger J. Traynor trophy as the top oral argument team the weekend of April 14-15th. The competition was held at Boalt Hall, UC Berkeley Law School.

In the finals, the TJSL team bested a strong team from McGeorge School of Law, as Elston and Griessmeyer argued before a distinguished panel of former judges, former Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court Joseph R. Grodin and former Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal. First District, Carl W. Anderson.  Diana Elston also was recognized as outstanding oralist in Saturday’s competition.

In winning the Traynor trophy, the Thomas Jefferson team beat teams from twelve other California law schools, including teams from U.C. Berkeley, U.C. Davis, UCLA, Hastings, USC, and USF, as well as McGeorge, Chapman, Empire College School of Law, San Joaquin College of Law, Trinity Law School, and Western State.

“The victory was a team effort and culminated a fine year for the Moot Court Society which has shown that its members are hard working, committed, and competitive with the best law school teams in the country,” said Paul J. Spiegelman, TJSL’s Director of Advocacy and ADR Programs and the advisor to the Moot Court Society.

Thomas Jefferson’s Moot Court Team last won the Traynor Trophy in 1997, and the trophy will reside at TJSL for the next year.

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