RALEIGH — Campbell Law School’s Old Kivett Advocacy Council hosts the Richard A. Lord Intramural Moot Court Competition annually to test the second-year student body’s aptitude for appellate advocacy.
Appellate advocacy stands as a crucial skill for attorneys in practice, explained Mary Ann Matney ’17, director of the law school’s award-winning Competitive Advocacy Program.
“When appellate courts, such as the U.S. Supreme Court or the North Carolina Court of Appeals, review a case, they make a decision that will affect many cases to follow,” Matney said. “Advocates submit briefs to the appellate court in advance, and all parties have time to deliberate on the issues of law. This benefit of deliberation means advocates need a deep understanding of legal issues, heightened skill in legal research, fluent familiarity with the facts of their case and must possess the ability to express all of that succinctly to a panel of judges through written and oral argument.”
Over the weekend, each team proved their appellate proficiency through skillful legal writing and passionate oral advocacy. While every team demonstrated exceptional advocacy, a few teams rose to the top, Matney added.
The accolades from the competition go as follows:
The Champions of the 2023 Richard A. Lord Moot Court Competition are Zachary Olson ’25 and Ann Fields ’25.
The Finalists of the 2023 Richard A. Lord Moot Court Competition are Akram Hauter ’25 and Darrah Perry ’25.
The Best Brief for the 2023 Richard A. Lord Moot Court Competition went to Ashlyn Lorentz ’25 and Carolyn Bencini ’25.
The Best Brief Runner-Up for the 2023 Richard A. Lord Moot Court Competition went to Olson and Fields.
The Best Oralist of the 2023 Richard A. Lord Moot Court Competition was William “Nick” Greene ’25.
“Please congratulate these competitors, as well as all who participated in this Campbell Law tradition,” Matney said. “We are also grateful for everyone who worked to make this competition possible, and especially our judges who took time to make this competition a total success. We encourage the 1Ls to look forward to next year where they, too, will get the opportunity to engage in this competition and test their skills and learn how to become better lawyers.”
ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW SCHOOL
Since its founding in 1976, Campbell Law has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion, and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. Among its accolades, the school has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation’s top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation’s best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts more than 4,800 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2023, Campbell Law is celebrating 45 years of graduating legal leaders and 14 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina’s Capital City.