Baylor Law Team Wins National Championship at Conrad B. Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition

Team Coach Deborah Perry (L) with the Baylor Law students at the Conrad B. Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition, from L-R, Casey Cooper, Tansy Ackermann, Paige Browne, Amber John, Maddie Gay, and Jacob King.

WACO -

Baylor Law’s interscholastic moot court team took first place at the prestigious 31st annual Conrad B. Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition, hosted by St. John’s University and the American Bankruptcy Institute. Two Baylor Law teams faced off against dozens of other law schools from Saturday, March 4, through Monday, March 6, in New York City.

The team of Maddie Gay, Tansy Ackermann, and Casey Cooper emerged victorious – and Amber John, Jacob King, and Paige Browne – made a strong showing, ending as octa-finalists. Professor of Law Larry Bates and Adjunct Professor Deborah Perry, a shareholder with Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. in Dallas, coached both teams. The American Bankruptcy Institute Endowment Fund presented Gay, Ackermann, and Browne with a $5,000 team award. Additionally, Ackermann won the prize for 5th best speaker, and Browne’s brief won the award for 5th best brief.

The Conrad B. Duberstein National Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition is widely recognized as one of the nation’s preeminent moot court competitions and is one of the largest moot court competitions in terms of the number of teams competing. At the competition banquet, where the Baylor Law team was declared the winner, more than 600 bankruptcy lawyers and judges attended.

“Baylor Law is always enormously proud of our students and coaches for their success in the highly regarded and elite Duberstein moot court tournament,” noted Dean Brad Toben. “Their win is a well-deserved recognition of their hard work, professionalism, and advocacy skills. Our repeated strong showing at the Duberstein competition over the past several years is a testament to our commitment to training powerful advocates, and we’re delighted that both teams represented us so well.”

The annual Duberstein Competition involves a substantial commitment from students, who undertook analysis and brief writing before and throughout exams, spring break, and other obligations. Prior to competing at the Duberstein competition, both Baylor Law teams participated in the regional annual Elliot Cup Competition, sponsored by the Bankruptcy Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. The team of Amber John, Jacob King, and Paige Browne took second place in the Elliot Cup, while the team of Madeline Gay, Tansy Ackermann, and Casey Cooper took third.

Baylor Law took the top spot in the Duberstein competition in 2021 and narrowly missed repeating as champions last year, finishing as finalists.

MEDIA CONTACT: Ed Nelson, Director of Marketing & Communications
EMAIL: Ed_Nelson@Baylor.edu
PHONE: 254-710-6681

ABOUT BAYLOR LAW
Established in 1857, Baylor 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 7,800 living alumni. Accredited by the American Bar Association and 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. Baylor Law boasts among its notable alumni 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. In its law specialties rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Baylor Law’s trial advocacy program as among the best in the nation at No. 2. Baylor Law School also is ranked No. 48 in the magazine’s 2020 edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools.” The National Jurist ranks Baylor Law as one of the “Best School for Practical Training” and No. 4 in the nation in its most recent “Best Law School Facilities” listing. Business Insider places Baylor Law among the top 50 law schools in the nation. Baylor Law School 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 its inception in 1984. Learn more at baylor.edu/law

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more at baylor.edu