Lauren Leveno and Jamie Mills Win Baylor Law's 2022 Faegre Drinker Spring Moot Court Competition
Winners and Finalists of the 2022 Faegre Drinker Spring Moot Court Competition on Monday, March 21. (L-R) Varun Reddy, Amber John, W. Neil Rambin (JD '79), Senior Counsel with Faegre Drinker in Dallas, Jamie Mills, and Lauren Leveno.
WACO -
Baylor Law’s annual Faegre Drinker Spring Moot Court Competition ended on Monday, March 21, with students Lauren Leveno and Jamie Mills taking the top spots. This year’s finalists were Varun Reddy and Amber John. The four semi-finalists were Ally Brittain, Elena Folgueras, Jennifer Bloodworth, and Emily Duckworth. Eighty-four teams began the challenging competition on February 28, making it one of the largest tournaments ever held at Baylor Law. Students in Baylor Law’s Legal Analysis, Research, and Communication III (LARC 3) class are required to compete along with any other law students who wish to participate.
During the four days of preliminary rounds, the competition host, the Harvey M. Richey Moot Court Society, ran 42 head-to-head matches daily. The preliminary rounds required a total of 336 judges. Student barristers, faculty, and nearly 100 practicing Baylor Lawyers from around the state volunteered to serve as judges.
Several of the judges of the final round of the 2022 Faegre Drinker Spring Moot Court Competition listen to competitors' arguments. (L-R) Adjunct Professor Ben Selman, W. Neil Rambin (JD '79), Legal Writing Lecturers Greg White (JD '82), and Kayla Landeros (JD '08).
After the fourth day of preliminary rounds on March 3, the top 32 teams advanced to compete in a bracket-style, single-elimination tournament, culminating in the final round. A panel of practicing attorneys, Baylor Law professors, and previous winners of Baylor Law’s internal moot court competition judged the final round. W. Neil Rambin (JD '79), Senior Counsel with Faegre Drinker in Dallas, served as the Chief Justice.
The top ten speakers, as well as the members of the top 32 teams, have been named as Barristers of the Harvey M. Richey Moot Court Society, an honorific title given to those who stand out for their advocacy skills. The top ten speakers, as selected by speaker points awarded during the preliminary rounds, were:
1. Vivian Noyd
2. Jennifer Bloodworth
3. Tie: Tiffani Skroch and Amber John
5. McKinsey Meeker
6. Emily Mouser
7. Madi Barney
8. Greta Andersen
9. Varun Reddy
10. Casey Cooper
The moot court officers and LARC 3 faculty selected second-year student Jillian Ginger to receive the Harvey M. Richey Moot Court Society Professionalism Award. This award is not a regular feature of the competition and is only presented when a student demonstrates an exceptional act of professionalism in connection with the competition.
Legal Writing Lecturer Mike Berry announces the winners of the 2022 Faegre Drinker Spring Moot Court Competition.
"This year’s finalists survived multiple preliminary and post-break rounds in a field of 84 teams," stated Legal Writing Lecturer Mike Berry, who oversees the Faegre Drinker Spring Moot Court Competition. "The competition was exceptionally challenging because of the unprecedented number of competitors. After completing the preliminary and first post-break rounds virtually on Zoom, the finalists had to switch gears and compete live before a packed classroom. They all displayed great poise, and I’m proud of how well they all did in their arguments."
Baylor Law appreciates Faegre Drinker’s continued support of our advocacy program and especially our challenging intramural moot court competition.
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Established in 1857, Baylor University School of Law was one of the first law schools in Texas and one of the first west of the Mississippi River. Today, the school has more than 7,600 living alumni. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Baylor Law has a record of producing outstanding lawyers, many of whom decide upon a career in public service. The Law School boasts two governors, members or former members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, two former directors of the FBI, U.S. ambassadors, federal judges, justices of the Texas Supreme Court and members of the Texas Legislature, among its notable alumni. In its law specialties rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Baylor Law’s trial advocacy program as one of the top 5 in the nation. Baylor Law is also ranked in the top 50 in the magazine’s 2019 edition of "America’s Best Graduate Schools." The National Jurist ranks Baylor Law as one of the "Best School for Practical Training," and in the top 15 "Best Law School Facilities" in the country. The Business Insider places Baylor Law among the top 50 law schools in the nation. Baylor Law received the 2015 American Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Award, making it only the third law school in the nation to be honored with the award since the award's inception in 1984. Learn more at baylor.edu/law
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