Derek Simmonsen is the senior coach for the Moot Court program, coordinating between the student competition teams and outside volunteer coaches. He is a former newspaper reporter and a 2012 graduate of the law school, where he was a member of the National Moot Court Team and National Trial Team. After graduating, he clerked for the Honorable Mary Ellen Barbera on the Maryland Court of Appeals. He currently works as an Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Appeals Division at the Office of the Maryland Attorney General, where he has handled more than 100 appellate cases. In addition to working as a senior coach, he coaches the National Moot Court Team, which has twice won its region and advanced to the national finals.