ASL Students excel at National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition

 

 

            Photos courtesy of Jessica Conway

 

The ASL team of Amber Russo, Akiah Highsmith and Nate Ogle just completed a very successful stint at the National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition (NELMCC) at Pace University School of Law, advancing all the way to the finals out of 76 teams.  With 76 teams, the NELMCC purports to be the largest moot court competition in the country, and it is almost certainly the most prestigious one that focuses on environmental law issues.  The competition includes teams from Harvard, Michigan, Columbia, Georgetown and many other decorated law schools.  After three preliminary rounds on Thursday and Friday morning, ASL was one of 27 teams that advanced to the quarterfinals.  On Friday afternoon, the ASL team dispatched entrants from Florida State and Arizona to advance to the semifinals.  At the Saturday morning semifinals, teams from UC-Berkeley and Hastings also succumbed  to ASL.  The final round, which was won by Vermont Law School, was before a panel that included judges from the Second Circuit Court of appeals, the Environmental Appeals Board and the New York Court of Appeals (the state’s highest court).

The team’s efforts earned several environmental law volumes as awards for the ASL Law Library, as well as plaques for the school and the individual members.  In addition to the team success, Nate Ogle was honored as a top oralist for the preliminary rounds.  Jessica Conway helped coach and assist the team’s research efforts.  Efforts and successes of ASL students such as Amber, Akiah, Nate and Jessica are the cornerstone upon which ASL has built a nationally recognized moot court program, under the direction of Professor Barger, and upon which ASL is currently constructing what will be a nationally recognized Natural Resources Law Program.

 

Congratulations Amber, Akiah and Nate! Professor Mark Belleville is the coach of the Environmental Law Moot Court Team.  Congrats to Professor Belleville for all is hard work!!  Also, special thanks to Pat Baker and Doug McKechnie who volunteered as judges.