Campbell Law advocates win regional Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition

Photo of Campbell Law advocates and coaches posing with hardware after winning regional competition in DC

RALEIGH — Campbell Law advocates Destiney Parker ‘20 and Brittany Levine ‘20, coached by attorneys Pam McAfee and Margaret Westbrook, won the regional Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition on Monday, Feb 17, in Washington, D.C. Parker was also named best oralist. 

Parker and Levine will go on to compete in New York City at the national Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition on Feb. 29-March 2. 

Stubbs & Perdue sponsored Parker and Levine for the competition. The firm’s gift provides financial assistance for the student’s preparation, travel, and lodging as they compete in both competitions. 

McAfee is an adjunct professor at Campbell Law, where she teaches a bankruptcy survey course, and a staff attorney for Judge Joseph Callaway in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Westbrook, who is a partner at K&L Gates, clerked for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina from 1996 to 1998.

The Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition is widely recognized as one of the nation’s preeminent moot court competitions. The competition promotes and recognizes the finest oral and written advocacy on significant issues in bankruptcy practice. More than 50 law school teams participate, making this the largest single-site appellate moot court competition.Jointly sponsored by St. John’s University School of Law and the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), the competition is named in memory of St. John’s alumnus, former ABI Director and former Chief Judge Conrad B. Duberstein.  ABI is the largest multidisciplinary membership organization devoted to research and education on insolvency issues. St. John’s is a leader in bankruptcy education and offers the premier LL.M. in bankruptcy law.

The American Bankruptcy Institute Endowment Fund will present the following awards to the winners:

$5,000 to the first-place team

$3,000 to the second-place team

$1,500 to the two third-place teams

$1,000 each for Best Oralist and Best Brief

The competition will conclude with the Duberstein reception — attended by leading bankruptcy judges and practitioners — at Gotham Hall in New York City. 

ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW

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 4,200 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2019, Campbell Law celebrated 40 years of graduating legal leaders and 10 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina’s Capital City.