By Leah Willis
On January 16, S.J. Quinney College of Law students Abe Bates and Alex Stein took first place in the local Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Moot Court Competition. Commendable performances also were given by teams comprised of Quinney College students Tim Nichols and Jeremy Blain, who took second place; Greg Baker and Scott Hilton; and Li Feng and Jennifer Bogart.
The local competition was coordinated with the BYU law school, which fielded seven teams. It acts as a selection process to establish the top one or two teams from each school to advance to the regional level. Law schools across the western U.S. will face off in Santa Clara, California on March 14-16. National finals will be held mid-April in Washington, D.C.
The 35th annual event, organized by the American Intellectual Property Law Association, “is the premier intellectual property competition each year,” says Dave Jones, attorney at local firm Workman Nydegger who serves as one of four advisors for the U teams. (All students from both schools are advised by Workman Nydegger attorneys.)
Bates and Stein also will represent the U in competition against BYU at the Utah Intellectual Property Summit on February 15. The panel will include the Honorable Arthur Gajarsa of the Federal Circuit; the Honorable Tena Campbell, U.S. District of Utah, and the Honorable Michael Mosman, U.S. District of Oregon.