Penn State Law team competes in Boston region’s ABA Moot Court competition

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Boston Region of the American Bar Association Moot Court Competition is notoriously one of the more challenging regions that moot court teams can select to participate in. This year’s Penn State Law team was ready for the challenge.

Julia Ammerman and Mackenzie Koppenhofer, both second-year students, along with their coach, Rachel Brown, a third-year student, traveled to Boston for the competition, held March 1-3. Ammerman and Koppenhofer made it to the fifth and final round of the event, finishing with the fourth best brief overall out of 32 teams, and the fifth seed going into the final. Throughout the multiple rounds of competition, the team argued both sides of a two-issue appellate brief, as if they were arguing before the Supreme Court, that involved application of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act in cases involving arrest and non-custodial station house interrogations.

“Boston is an incredibly competitive region with many top litigation-focused schools participating. We were the underdogs of the competition, and for them to have gone so far really speaks to their hard work and dedication,” said Brown.

With the brief being due on January 1, the team worked straight up to the competition to prepare, including practicing two to three times per week and competing in “live” rounds with professors acting as judges. These experiences were particularly helpful, and Professor Michael Foreman’s background and expertise in cases of this nature really enabled them to prepare their arguments based on his critiques.

“This was a great exercise in thinking on your feet,” said Koppenhofer. “It helped me to feel comfortable and confident in my knowledge and how best to communicate it.”

Ammerman agreed.

“From the first practice to the last, from the first round of competition to the last, I could feel us getting more and more confident, and losing the nervousness,” she said.  “I was able to stay organized in what I had to say and make sure I conveyed my points accurately.”

Both Ammerman and Koppenhofer are running for positions on next year’s Moot Court Executive Board at Penn State Law, calling their experience with moot court up to this point “one of the most valuable aspects of law school so far.” Both students also recommend moot court to any student who thinks oral advocacy might be part of their career path, as it helps you to field contradictive feedback and work through the process of creating a roadmap for your arguments, a skill you may not necessarily get from a traditional class.