The University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law’s moot court program finished No. 9 in the nation for the 2023-24 school year, according to rankings published by the Blakely Advocacy Institute at the University of Houston Law Center. Among the 18 American Bar Association-approved schools in California, McGeorge finished second. 

The program rose five spots in the rankings from last year’s No. 14 finish.

“McGeorge’s moot court program is consistently ranked among the best in the nation, which affirms the high caliber of the program and our students. I am proud of our students for their dedication and hard work this year,” said Professor Ed Telfeyan, co-director of the Eglet Center for Advocacy & Dispute Resolution.

Teams of McGeorge School of Law students competed in 14 competitions throughout the academic year in 11 cities across the country. The students earned 18 awards for brief writing and oral advocacy.

Of the 197 ABA-approved law schools throughout the country, only 101 law schools have active moot court programs and earned points to be included in the ranking system by the Blakely Advocacy Institute this year.

Moot court replicates the atmosphere of a courtroom, providing law students with a platform to apply their knowledge by drafting briefs and presenting oral arguments before a panel of judges.

American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Competition

At the American Bar Association’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition, McGeorge teams tied for third and 15th place in Philadelphia April 4-6. Ava Sutton ’24 and Morgan Graber ’24 earned the No. 2 Best Brief in the competition out of 178 briefs submitted. Sutton was also named one of the top five oralists out of 202 competitors.

The McGeorge teams were two of the four teams selected to advance to the national round of the competition after winning the final rounds of the regional competition in San Francisco Feb. 29-March 2. At the regional competition, the team of Francia Orduño ’24, Alex Leshnick ’24 and Dani Fatta Diele ’24 was awarded the prize for the Best Brief. Orduño was also named one of the top 10 oralists at the regional competition.

The teams were coached by Professor Dan Croxall '08, Maricar Pascual ’16, Paige Davidson ’19 and Katherine Pollack ’24. Marino Dominguez ’25 was the research assistant for the teams.

Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition

The team of Swanson, Stephen Ribet ’24 and Daniel Perle ’24 placed second in the regional rounds of the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition in San Francisco. The team earned best oralist team at the regional round of the competition. The Lefkowitz competition is widely recognized as the most prestigious intellectual property competition in the country.

Swanson, Ribet, and Perle also competed in the competition's national finals in Washington, D.C. Out of the 12 teams that advanced to the national finals, McGeorge was awarded the second-best oralist team.

Roger J. Traynor California Appellate Moot Court Competition

McGeorge also scored big in the 55th Annual Roger J. Traynor California Appellate Moot Court Competition April 13-14. The team of Hannah Nguyen ’24 and Winnie Ellerman ’25 advanced to the final round of the competition, earning second place and Second Best Brief. Nguyen also earned an individual merit award for oral argument.

Chicago Bar Association Moot Court Competition

Sutton and Morgan Gross ’24 competed in the Chicago Bar Association Moot Court Competition in Chicago Nov. 16-18 and tied for third place out of 30 teams. The team received Best Respondent Brief.

Veterans National Moot Court Tournament

Two McGeorge School of Law moot court teams advanced to the semi-final round of the Veterans National Moot Court Tournament in Washington, D.C. Nov. 4-5. The team of Joshua Jendian ’24 and Tara Swanson ’24 received Best Petitioner’s Brief, and Swanson was awarded Second-Best Oralist. The team of Leshnick and Diele Fatta received the second-place award for Respondent’s Brief.

UCLA Williams Institute Moot Court Competition

In the UCLA Williams Institute Moot Court Competition, the team of Matt Munoz ’25 and Sharon Witkin ’25 won three straight rounds to advance to the semi-final round of the competition in Los Angeles on April 5.

Leroy R. Hassell Sr. National Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition

Amanda Stone ’24 and Jensen Blaine ’25 were semi-finalists at the 23rd Annual Leroy R. Hassell Sr. National Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition in Virginia Beach, Virginia Nov. 17-18.

UC Davis Asylum & Refugee Law National Moot Court Competition

McGeorge sent two teams to the 17th Annual UC Davis Asylum & Refugee Law National Moot Court Competition in Davis March 15-16. Alexis Martinez ’24 and Zachary Jayousi ’24 made it to the quarterfinal round of the competition and won Best Brief. Jayousi also received a Best Oralist award. Nikki Kuklo ’24 and Kaila Fayne ’24 made it to the semifinals and won third Best Brief.

Additional results from the moot court competition season include:

• At the recent Appellate Lawyers Association Moot Court Competition in Chicago Nov. 3-4, Graber and Pollack advanced to the semi-final round, finished third, and were awarded the second-best brief of the competition.
• Kelsey Thweatt ’24, Allison Formoso ’24 and Fernando Almaraz ’24 advanced to the quarterfinal round during the National Moot Court Competition’s regional competition in New York on Nov. 10-11.
• Kyndall Banales ’24 and Gross competed in the Robert F. Wagner National Labor and Employment Law Moot Court Competition earlier this spring in New York March 1-3. The team made it to the octo-finals and placed in the top four briefs out of 40.
• Witkin and Munoz received the third Best Petitioner’s Brief award at the National Entertainment Law Moot Court Competition in Malibu Nov. 10-11.

To learn more about the Eglet Center for Advocacy & Dispute Resolution or McGeorge’s award-winning competition teams, visit our website.