Law students advance to final four in Herbert Wechsler National Criminal Moot Court Competition
April 14, 2016
The University of Toledo College of Law students advanced to the semifinals of the Herbert Wechsler National Criminal Moot Court Competition held April 9 at the SUNY Buffalo School of Law in Buffalo, New York.
UT law students Lindsey Cavese and Thomas Walsh were among the best four teams in the competition to argue before lawyers and judges a specific legal issue, which this year involved the question of whether a sentence of life without parole for a juvenile violates the Constitution. The teams research the legal issue, draft a 30-page brief arguing one side of the problem and practice oral arguments as they would before the Supreme Court in an actual case.
Walsh and Cavese argued both sides of the question, consistently winning until they were one of only four teams remaining of the 23 teams from across the country that competed.
“This is one of the strongest teams that I can recall, in any moot court competition, anywhere in the country,” said UT Associate Professor Gregory Gilchrist, who served as the faculty advisor to the team. “Moot court competitions require the students to research a complex legal issue, write a formal appellate brief, structure a persuasive argument, hone their oral advocacy. And, on top of all this, the students need to think on their feet in a high-pressure situation. This year, Tommy and Lindsey excelled in all these roles and made UT proud.”
The judges, who complemented the UT teammates on their persuasive skills, demeanor, and command of the relevant standards and cases, awarded Wash the Ryan J. Mullins Memorial Award given to the competitor who best embodies the spirit, passion, and enthusiasm of the competition.
“The competition was a great experience,” Cavese said. “It helped develop a practical set of skills I can take with me into the future as an attorney.”
The team was coached and accompanied in New York by UT College of Law student Katrin McBroom. As the team coach, Ms. McBroom was responsible for establishing deadlines on all projects, coordinating practice rounds, identifying guest judges for those rounds, and generally guiding Cavese and Walsh through the competition. Ms. McBroom was selected as coach based on her success the prior year as a member of the Transactional Health Law Moot Court team.
“After watching my colleagues practice so many times before attending the competition, it was thrilling to see them shine among 23 other teams,” she said. “Every time we advanced on to the next round, we all shared an immense amount of excitement and pride for Toledo Law.