Judge an upcoming Moot Court Competition

       2009 Moot Court Champions

Interested in judging for upcoming Moot Court competitions? Sign up today.

Success in 2008-2009!
more >>

Press Release

For Immediate Release 

UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY SCHOOL OF LAW MOOT COURT TEAM
WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

School was Only Law School in Michigan Invited to Compete,
Bested Numerous Championship Teams from Law Schools Across the Country

Detroit, January 22, 2008 – The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law (UDM Law) announced today that its Moot Court team won the first annual 2009 Moot Court National Championship, hosted by the University of Houston Law Center.  UDM Law was invited to compete as one of the top 16 moot court programs in the country based on competition results from the 2007-2008 season.

According to the University of Houston Law Center, “each of the 16 finalists made it to the National Championship the old-fashioned way: they earned it by achieving outstanding results at ‘open’ moot court tournaments that any team can enter.  Using a list of 34 open tournaments, the University of Houston Law Center developed a qualifying formula for the Moot Court National Championship.”

The 16 finalists consisted of law schools from around the country including Campbell University;
Chicago-Kent College of Law; DePaul University; George Mason University; Harvard Law School (while Harvard was invited to participate, it did not field a team); Loyola University – Chicago; Mercer University; Regent University; Seton Hall University; South Texas College of Law; University of California – Davis; University of California – Hastings; University of Colorado; University of Detroit Mercy; University of Memphis; and the University of Miami.

“We know that our students’ advocacy skills are the best in the nation and it is gratifying to see that recognized in open competition,” said Mark Gordon, Dean of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. 

UDM Law’s Moot Court team was represented by students Jennifer Dukarski, Daniel Whittal, and Shannon Snee.  The team was coached by Professor Michelle Streicher, who directs UDM Law’s championship moot court program.

In the final round, UDM Law, seeded third in the semifinals, beat number one seeded Regent University.  All rounds were conducted in the Federal Courthouse in downtown Houston, and many were judged by members of the judiciary and prominent attorneys.

In addition to winning the first annual 2009 Moot Court National Championship, UDM Law won the Chicago Bar Association Moot Court Tournament in November and was named regional semi-finalists at the New York City Bar Association National Moot Court Competition.  

UDM Law attributes its win, in part, to its advocacy program.  Students are selected in the summer to serve on the UDM Law Moot Court Board of Advocates.  New members participate in an Advanced Advocacy course (co-taught by Professor Michelle Streicher and Assistant Dean Cara Cunningham) where they are exposed to various oral and written persuasion techniques.  The class also includes a hands-on workshop with Second City improvisation actors who coach the students on voice control, diction, and body language.  The Board is comprised of a very competitive and caring group of dedicated students.

Founded in 1912, UDM is a Catholic law school sponsored by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.  The school is approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.  UDM recently received the prestigious 2006 Judy M. Weightman Award, from the ABA’s Student Lawyer Division, in recognition of the school’s outstanding public interest programs and contribution to the community.  In addition, UDM Law recently was one of five law schools in the nation honored by the National Jurist in its January, 2007 issue with a listing on the National Jurist Clinical Honor Roll. 

Located in the heart of downtown Detroit, the School is within walking distance of federal and state courts, law firms, and the city's municipal centers.  The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law is committed to the principles of equal educational opportunity.

For more information about UDM Law, please visit www.law.udmercy.edu or call (313) 596-0200.