Congratulations to all the moot court team members and coaches who participated during the 2024-2025 school year! Below is a roundup of the various teams who competed.
National Moot Court Competition
Seattle Washington
Coaches: Jason Harmon and Dean Elizabeth Kronk Warner
Team: Brooke Davies, Andrew Fender, Maggie Hawley
Our 2025 National Moot Court team did a fantastic job at the regional level, with judges praising them for their preparation and professionalism, and also giving the team very high marks on their oral argument skills. Sadly, they did not advance to finals, but we are so proud of their exceptional work!
TYLA National Trial Competition
Feb. 7-9
Portland, Oregon
Coach: Hon. Richard McKelvie
Team: Courtney Gamangasso, Bree Miller, Hayley Robertson, Hailey Winn
The S.J. Quinney College of Law Trial Advocacy team had a successful trip to Portland, Oregon, to compete in the Texas Young Lawyers Association Trial Advocacy regional meet.
Hailey Winn and Courtney Gamangasso reached the tournament semi-finals, losing to eventual overall winner Denver University. Bree Miller and Hayley Robertson were a short step behind, one judge’s ballot away from joining their teammates in the semifinals. Along the way the team gained valuable experience in trial advocacy and a boost in their confidence the next time they enter a courtroom. Congratulations to Hailey, Courtney, Hayley and Bree, and their coach, Adjunct Professor and Judge Richard McKelvie.
National Native American Law Students Association (NNALSA) Competition
Feb. 14-15
Las Vegas, Nevada
Coaches: Hon. Colette Routel and Dean Elizabeth Kronk Warner
Team 1: Abigail Alexander and Paige Lee
Team 2: Sophie Jensen and Isaac Santos
Team 3: Will Clark and Adam Snow
This year, 66 teams competed and only 16 teams advanced, so it was a tough field. Although the teams of Abigail Alexander/Paige Lee and Sophie Jensen/Isaac Santos did not advance to the Sweet 16, they received excellent feedback praising them for their knowledge, preparation, and professionalism. The team of Will Clark and Adam Snow did advance and made it to the Elite 8. They also won the third-place best brief award for the entire competition. We could not be prouder of all the students accomplished and their hard work.
Jessup Moot Court Competition
Feb. 19-23
Portland, Oregon
Coach: Jacqueline Morrison
Team: Austin Edens, Henry Flitton, Becca Huber, Zoe Kozlowski, and Jade Trinh
The 2025 Jessup team excelled at the U.S. West Regional of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Team members spent countless hours preparing arguments on issues related to jurisdiction, immunities for state officials and state property, and the impacts of sea-level rise on the delimitation of maritime boundaries. The team went 2-2 in the preliminary rounds, narrowly missing advancing in the competition. They would like to thank Jessica Arthurs, Sam Flitton, Amanda Fuller, Jess Morrison, and Professor Ruhan Nagra for serving as guest judges in practice rounds.
Pace Environmental Law Moot Court Competition
Feb. 21-22
White Plains, New York
Coaches: Gordon Rowe and Sydney Sell
Team: Maria Catalano, Spencer Dillion and Max von Schmeling
The team was exceptional and represented Utah Law with professionalism, acute knowledge of the case, and exceptional oral advocacy. The competition had three preliminary rounds, and we had a clean sweep of best oralist awards in these rounds! Maria Catalano, Max von Schmeling, and Spencer Dillion each received a best oralist award. We ended up qualifying in the preliminary rounds with the fourth-highest score, which counted both their brief and their oral advocacy. The team had a great quarterfinal round but were unfortunately not chosen to advance to the semifinals.
UCLA Transactional Law Competition
March 7
Los Angeles, California
Coach: Erik Christiansen and Delight Roberts
Team 1: Paul Helms and Joshua Allen
Team 2: Jacob Marx and Mitch Smith
Two teams from Utah Law traveled to UCLA to compete in the Transactional Law competition hosted by the UCLA School of Law. The competition was highly competitive and drew 30 teams from law schools across the country. Both teams did a fantastic job representing both their client and Utah Law during the competition. Their preparedness, professionalism, work ethic, and attitude were outstanding. In fact, both the opposing team and one of their judges came over to chat during the reception and were very complimentary.
AIPLA Giles Rich Moot Court Competition
March 15-16
San Fransisco, California
Coach: Dave Johnson
Team: Bre Hickerson and Robert Stephens
Bre Hickerson and Robert Stephens won the regional round in San Francisco. The region included, among others, teams from the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, Berkeley, USC, Santa Clara, and BYU. Bre and Robert defeated two Berkeley teams and two USC teams and received countless compliments from the judges. They identified a nuanced position on the trade secret issue that most (maybe all) of the other teams simply didn’t pick up on. They represented the law school very well and will now compete in the National Round in Washington, D.C., in late April. This is an outstanding accomplishment, and Bre and Robert deserve kudos for their hard work and preparation.
Traynor Moot Court Competition
April 1
Salt Lake City
Coaches: Jason Harmon and Elizabeth Kronk Warner
Team 1: Gloria Aquino and Amanda Moody
Team 2: Lane Burgess and Ruben Castren
Lane Burgess and Ruben Castren argued for the petitioner, and Gloria Aquino and Amanda Moody argued for the respondents. Gloria and Amanda won best overall team, but we’re so proud of both teams for their exceptional performance.
The final round was judged by Hon. Jared Bennett (U.S. District Court for the District of Utah), Hon. John Bush (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit), Chief Justice Matthew Durrant (Utah Supreme Court), and Hon. Dianna Gibson (Third District Court, Utah).