Moot Court

Moot Court is a mock appellate advocacy experience that helps law students develop several skills to practice law, including strong writing and oral advocacy, critical thinking, ability to think under pressure, and self-confidence to be successful advocates. The Moot Court program is, undoubtedly, one of the best ways for law students to develop oral advocacy and appellate writing skills.

The Moot Court Board is comprised of students who have demonstrated exceptional ability in appellate brief writing and oral advocacy. Membership in the Moot Court Board is earned by competing in the Myerowitz Competition. At the end of the competition, the competitors with the highest scores are invited to join the Moot Court Board. The mission of the Moot Court Board is to provide law students with an avenue to enhance their advocacy skills in appellate brief writing and oral debate. The Moot Court Board accomplishes these goals by presenting a speaker series of federal and state appellate judges and practitioners, offering workshops on how to effectively write briefs and present oral arguments, preparing the hypothetical cases, grade briefs, judge oral arguments for the following year’s competitors, and assist first and second-year students with their advocacy courses. In addition, members have the opportunity to participate in competitions outside the law school, including the National Moot Court Competition, the Mercer University School of Law Legal Ethics and Professionalism Competition, and many others.

Read the Moot Court Board Constitution.

EXECUTIVE BOARD

President: Meera Balasubramanian

Vice President: Angelina Cole

Treasurer: Maia Gordon

DEI Chair: Elena Gurau

Logistics Chair: Corinne Bleecker

Fall Competition Chair: Mark Reichart

Fall Competition Chair: Carolyn Wetzel

Meyrowitz Co-Chairs/National Team: Samantha Bingaman

Meyrowitz Co-Chairs/National Team: Theodore David

Meyrowitz Co-Chairs/National Team: Rishi Shah

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Fall Competition Committee: Lauren Gammer, Michael Karper, and Sophia Pintar.

Meyrowitz Competition Committee: Adam Friedgen, Chloe Shumaker, and Austin Reed

Lawyering Committee: John Sonta, Amy Bolick, and Ryan Harrison

ELIGIBILITY

DAY STUDENTS

2D students who have already taken Written and Oral Advocacy and have at least two full semesters of remaining coursework to be eligible to graduate, excluding summer semester, are eligible to participate in the Fall Competition. 2D students who have already taken Written and Oral Advocacy and have at least one full semester of remaining coursework to be eligible to graduate, excluding summer semester, are eligible to participate in the Myerowitz Competition.

EVENING STUDENTS

2E and 3E students who have already taken Written and Oral Advocacy and have at least two full semesters of remaining coursework to be eligible to graduate, excluding summer semester, are eligible to participate in the Fall Competition. 2E and 3E students who have already taken Written and Oral Advocacy and have at least one full semester of remaining coursework to be eligible to graduate, excluding summer semester, are eligible to participate in the Myerowitz Competition.

However, 2E students may only compete in the Myerowitz Competition once. If 2E students do not earn membership in the Moot Court Board during their second year, they may not compete again as 3Es.

FALL MOOT COURT COMPETITION

For the Fall Competition, students are assigned either the side of the petitioner or the respondent to write a one-issue brief and do at least one round of oral argument based on a hypothetical case created by the Fall Competition Chairs. Students with the highest scores do a second round of oral argument. Then, two finalists have the opportunity to argue in front of a panel of federal or state judges. Participants have three weeks to write the brief, and one week to prepare for each round of oral argument.

At the end of the Fall Competition, some competitors attain Member-Elect status of the Moot Court Board, based on a composite of their first and second round oral argument scores and their written brief score. Member-Elects only need to score in the top 2/3 of the Myerowitz Competition to earn full membership in the Moot Court Board. Furthermore, all students who participate receive feedback on their briefs and performance on their oral arguments from the current members of the Moot Court Board, which helps to prepare for the next competition.

Therefore, participating in the Fall Competition is an opportunity to practice written and oral advocacy skills, and places students in a position of advantage for the next competition.

MORRIS BROWN MYEROWITZ MOOT COURT COMPETITION (SPRING)

The Myerowitz Competition is sponsored by the Moot Court Board and the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and will be held in the spring semester. Competitors write a two-issue brief and do at least one round of oral argument based on a hypothetical case created by the Myerowitz Competition Chairpersons. There is a total of four rounds of oral arguments. Eight semi-finalists, and four finalists have the opportunity to argue in front of a panel of federal or state judges. Participants have three weeks to write the brief, and one week to prepare for each round of oral argument.

At the conclusion of the Myerowitz Competition, the judges of the final round award the title of Best Oral Advocate, and Runner-Up Best Oral Advocate to two of the four participants in the final round. In addition, the awards of Best Brief and Runner-Up Best Brief are presented. Furthermore, the competitors with the highest scores are invited to join the Moot Court Board.

Marc DeSimone is the director of the Moot Court program and a 2004 graduate of the law school. Marc has coached the National Moot Court Team since 2005, and the teams he has coached have advanced to the National Championships on four occasions. During law school, Marc was a member of the National Moot Court team after being named best oral advocate in the 2003 Morris Brown Myerowitz Moot Court Competition. In recognition of his outstanding advocacy skills, Marc was inducted into the Order of the Coif and the Order of the Barristers at graduation.

Professionally, Marc is an Assistant Public Defender in the Appellate Division of the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, where he has handled several hundred appeals and has presented over 50 oral arguments before Maryland’s appellate courts. Marc’s trial-level advocacy includes personally arguing a state constitutional challenge to the Maryland death penalty statute, litigating a DNA exoneration matter, and successfully securing post-conviction relief on behalf of several clients who were incarcerated for several decades. Marc is also an adjunct faculty member of the law school and author of the chapter on criminal appeals in the Fourth Edition of Appellate Practice for the Maryland Lawyer: State and Federal. Prior to joining the Office of the Public Defender, Marc was in private practice and clerked for the Honorable Vanessa Ruiz, Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

Derek Simmonsen is the senior coach for the Moot Court program. He is a former newspaper reporter and a 2012 graduate of the law school. Derek was a finalist and won the best brief award at the 2011 Morris Brown Myerowitz Moot Court Competition. As a result, he was selected as a member of the National Moot Court Team. At the 2011-2012 National Moot Court Competition, his team was the runner-up regional winner and competed in the finals in New York City. He was also a member of the National Trial Team. Derek currently coaches the National Moot Court Team.

Professionally, Derek is an Assistant Attorney General with the Maryland Attorney General’s Office, representing the Maryland State Department of Education. Prior to joining the Attorney General’s Office, Derek was a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Mary Ellen Barbera (now Chief Judge) of the Maryland Court of Appeals.

Ryan Dietrich is a 2004 honors graduate of the law school. He was an Associate Editor of the Maryland Law Review, and served on the Executive Board of the Moot Court Board. After graduating from law school, Ryan was a law clerk for Judge Glenn T. Harrell, Jr. of the Court of Appeals of Maryland. After his clerkship, Ryan was an associate in the litigation practice group of a Baltimore law firm. In 2009, Ryan joined the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland's Criminal Appeals Division, where he drafted over 400 appellate briefs and argued over 100 cases in the Maryland appellate courts. In 2018, Ryan joined the Civil Litigation Division of the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland. Ryan has been a coach with the Moot Court Board since 2010.

Laura L. Dunn is a nationally recognized victim-turned-victims’ rights attorney whose work has been featured by HBO Vice, National Law Journal, Rolling Stone Magazine, PEOPLE Magazine, The New York Times, MSNBC, Al Jazeera America, and TIME Magazine, among many others. As an outspoken survivor turned student-activist, Laura L. Dunn contributed to the 2011 Title IX Guidance, drafted and lobbied to pass the 2013 VAWA Reauthorization, advised the 2014 White House Task Force to Protect Students Against Sexual Assault, and served on the 2014 U.S. Department of Education’s VAWA Rulemaking Committee. She is now a victims’ rights attorney, published legal scholar, adjunct professor at Maryland Law, member of the American Bar Association (ABA) Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence, liaison to two American Law Institute (ALI) projects. As the current Executive Director of SurvJustice, Dunn has represented survivors in campus hearings, severed as co-counsel in Title IX litigation, and provided expert consultation and witness services to lawsuits addressing campus sexual assault.

In 2014, Dunn received her Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland Carey School of Law where she graduated Order of the Barristers for her superior talents in trial and appellate advocacy, as a Rose Zetzer Fellow for her studies in the Women Leadership & Equality program, and received the William P. Cunningham Award for her national work on campus sexual violence. While in law school, Dunn also interned at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women, served as a judicial intern for the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, worked as a law clerk for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, and founded the national not-for-profit organization, SurvJustice.

Saidah Grimes is a native of South Carolina who attended the University of South Carolina Moore School of Business graduating magna cum laude with her B.S. in Business Administration where she majored in International Business, Corporate Finance, Global Supply Chain and Operations Management and Marketing with a minor in Spanish. Grimes subsequently graduated from the University of Maryland Carey School of Law cum laude, where she was the Technology Editor of the Journal of Health Care Law and Policy and the Treasurer of the Moot Court Board.

Grimes is currently a practicing attorney with Murphy Falcon, & Murphy in Baltimore, Maryland, represents clients in complex commercial litigation matters. Grimes received the “2017 Rising Star” by Super Lawyers magazine and was named to the “Top 40 Under 40” Black attorneys in Maryland by the National Association of Black Lawyers. For her dedicating over 1,000 hours to community service through youth advocacy, Grimes received a Proclamation from Prince George’s County, Maryland. Her passions include reforming the juvenile justice system and representing students with special needs. For her community involvement, Grimes has won Miss Black Maryland USA and been featured by WHUR Radio, the D.C. Military, Lifetime, and many other organizations and networks.

Matt Haven is a 2012 graduate of the law school and currently works in the litigation group at Gallagher Evelius & Jones in Baltimore. He represents entities and individuals in complex commercial litigation and business disputes. He also represents Gallagher’s real estate development clients on construction and property management issues.

Before joining the firm, Matt served a judicial clerkship with the Honorable Stephanie Gallagher of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. He began his practice in the Baltimore office of a regional law firm. During law school, Matt was a member of the National Moot Court Team and was recognized as runner-up in the Myerowitz Moot Court Competition. Matt participated in the 2011-2012 National Moot Court Competition, where his team was the runner-up regional winner and advanced to the finals in New York City. He also served as Editor-In-Chief of the Maryland Journal of Race, Religion, Gender, and Class. Matt has been selected a Maryland Super Lawyers "Rising Star" since 2016.

Holly Leasure is a 2016 graduate of the evening program of the University of Maryland School of Law and a former president of the Moot Court Board. Currently, Ms. Leasure coaches the John J. Gibbons Criminal Procedure Moot Court Competition team. Ms. Leasure was an outstanding competitor in the University of Maryland School of Law's moot court competitions, winning Best Oral Advocate of the 2014 Fall Moot Court Competition and competing as a finalist in the 2015 Morris B. Myerowitz Moot Court Competition. Ms. Leasure competed in the 2016 National Constitutional Law Competition at Charleston School of Law, where her 2-member team was awarded best brief, advanced to semi-finals and finished third place of 24 teams. In addition, Ms. Leasure was recognized as one of the best oral advocates of the preliminary rounds. In recognition of her outstanding appellate advocacy skills, upon graduation, Ms. Leasure was inducted to the Order of the Barristers.

Upon graduation, Ms. Leasure also received the William P. Cunningham award for outstanding service to the law school. Ms. Leasure is a native of the Baltimore area. In 2008, she graduated magna cum laude from Stevenson University where she majored in paralegal studies. Professionally, Ms. Leasure spent several years working as a paralegal and later ,as a law clerk in a local private civil litigation firm handling cases for plaintiffs in medical malpractice and personal injury matters. Upon admission to the Maryland Bar in 2016, Ms. Leasure continued her career at the same firm representing plaintiffs in medical malpractice and personal injury matters. In December 2018, Ms. Leasure transitioned her practice, becoming an associate at Goodell DeVries Leech and Dann in Baltimore, where she defends healthcare providers and institutions in professional liability and malpractice claims.

Linda Morris is a 2017 graduate of the law school and former member of the National Moot Court Team. Linda was a finalist and won the best brief award at the 2016 Morris Brown Myerowitz Moot Court Competition. Linda was also named best oral advocate and won runner-up best brief at the 2015 Fall Moot Court Competition. During law school, Linda participated in the Appellate Advocacy and Law Reform clinic with the Appellate Division of the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, and presented oral argument before the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. Professionally, Linda serves as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Stephanie A. Gallagher of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. Linda is also a recipient of the 2018 Skadden Fellowship, and will complete her fellowship at the ACLU Women's Rights Project.

William Piermattei joined the School of Law in 2010 after 10 years in private practice. In his role as Managing Director of the Environmental Law Program, he directs the Environmental Law Externship Program, advises students pursuing the certificate of concentration in environmental law, is the faculty supervisor for the Maryland Environmental Law Society (MELS), directs Environmental Law Program conferences and events, supervises the Environmental Law Program moot court and negotiation teams, teaches Environmental Advocacy and manages the day-to-day operations of the Environmental Law Program.

In addition to the above, Bill works on a variety of international initiatives. Along with The Elizabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and Professor Percival, Bill is part of the Secretariat for the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law, an international academy of 200 member universities with programs focused on environmental law. He has co-edited the Proceedings of the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law’s 10^th Annual Colloquium, Global Environmental Law at a Crossroads, Edward Elgar (2014). Currently, Bill is developing and supervising interdisciplinary student projects addressing international environmental issues. Currently, this “project-based learning” model is focused on creating a legal, financial and regulatory framework for developing and managing greywater use for agriculture irrigation in Israel and West Bank off-grid communities, collaborating with the Arava Institute. Prior to arriving at the School of Law in May 2010, Bill was an associate at Venable, LLP in Baltimore. During his career as a litigator, he represented businesses and professionals in a variety of different civil suits, including toxic torts, products liability, business torts, and professional malpractice. Bill graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law with honor in 1999 with a Concentration in Environmental Law.

Rachel Simmonsen is a former newspaper reporter and a 2011 graduate of the law school. After being named best oral advocate in the 2010 Morris Brown Myerowitz Moot Court Competition, Rachel was selected to be a member of the National Moot Court Team. At the 2010-2011 National Moot Court Competition, Rachel was named best oral advocate for Region III, and her team received the award for best brief in the region.

Professionally, Rachel is an Assistant Public Defender in the Appellate Division of the Maryland Office of the Public Defender. Prior to joining that office, Rachel clerked for the Honorable William D. Quarles, Jr., of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, and for the Honorable Andre M. Davis, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Jonathan Tincher graduated magna cum laude from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law in 2018 and currently practices in the Asset Management Group at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in Washington, D.C.

The Maryland Carey Law Moot Court Board is committed to providing equitable educational opportunities that support people from diverse backgrounds. The DEI Chair will reach out to UMB’s affinity groups to encourage students to try out for any of the Moot Court competitions. Moreover, the Moot Court Board welcomes students from all walks of life, including students with diverse backgrounds that are not currently represented by an affinity group.

Throughout the tryout process, the Moot Court Board will be taking active steps to ensure that the Board does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, arrest record, color, conviction record, creed, disability, gender, marital status, national origin, parental status, political affiliation or belief, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or socioeconomic status. Additionally, Moot Court members will be required to complete anti-discrimination training before judging in any moot court competitions at the University of Maryland.

Moot Court Board Definitions:

DIVERSITY: a collection of values, experiences, opinions, values, and world views that come about through the inclusion of people from disparate backgrounds that encompass a range of ethnicities, races, religions, socioeconomic statuses, sexual orientations, disabilities, ages, nationalities, and immigration statuses.

EQUITY: leveling the playing field by ensuring that opportunities are fair, take into consideration the barriers placed in the paths of our nation’s people to prevent their advancements and the practice of actively seeking ways to combat those barriers.

INCLUSION: making sure everyone has a seat at the table and the opportunity to voice their beliefs in a way where everyone feels valued and supported.

Contact: Elena Gurau, elenagurau@umaryland.edu, DEI Chair