Law School Team Captures Fourth Consecutive Regional Moot Court Win

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MACON – For the fourth consecutive year, a team from Mercer University School of Law has won the Region 5 contest of the National Moot Court Competition, defeating Emory University School of Law in the final round last weekend.

Mercer law students Stacey Furgason and Katie Powers captured the victory during the regional 2008 National Moot Court Competition held Nov. 21-22 in the Russell Federal Courthouse in Atlanta. Along with the overall moot court victory, Powers won the Best Oralist award. The team is coached by Reynold J. Kosek Jr., professor of law at Mercer, and Peter Bennion, a student coach. Other participating law schools included the universities of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Mercer and Emory will now advance to the national competition in New York City in February where they will compete against the top two teams from the other 13 regions in the country.

Mercer Law School’s regional victory brings its record to 2-0 this year in moot court competition. In October, a team finished first in the Emory Civil Rights and Liberties Moot Court Competition held in Atlanta. Due to its extraordinarily strong national standing in moot court competitions, Mercer was one of only 16 law schools nationally selected to compete in a new national moot court competition in April, signifying that Mercer’s program had one of the top records in the country during the 2007-08 academic year.

“We are extremely pleased by the performance of this moot court team – both the students and their coaches – who did an extraordinary job representing themselves and the entire Mercer University School of Law family,” said Dean Daisy Hurst Floyd. “At Mercer, we prepare our students for the practice of law in all its various manifestations. And it is good to see that the hard work of our students, faculty and staff continues to pay off. We look forward to supporting this team in its bid for the national championship in New York City.”

Sponsored by the New York City Bar and American College of Trial Lawyers since 1950, the National Moot Court Competition helps law students develop “the art of appellate advocacy,” according to the organization’s Web site.

“Mercer succeeds in moot court competitions because of the total commitment of our community,” Kosek said. “Dean Floyd encourages and supports the development of our program. Faculty, staff, students and alumni give generously of their time and wisdom to assist our competitors. Most importantly, our students work tirelessly to develop the skills needed to win the competitions.”

About Mercer’s Walter F. George School of Law:
The Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law is ranked among the Top 100 law schools in the United States, and its legal writing program is ranked No. 1 in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2009 ranking of “America’s Best Graduate Schools.” The law school’s public interest law program was recently ranked No. 6 in the nation by preLaw Magazine. Founded in 1873, Mercer Law School is among the oldest in the nation. Its innovative Woodruff Curriculum – which focuses on ethics and practical skills amid small class sizes – earned the Gambrell Professionalism Award from the American Bar Association for its “depth of excellence.” With a total enrollment of about 400 students, taught by some of the sharpest legal minds in the country, Mercer Law School is recognized as one of the nation’s best. For more information about Mercer Law School, visit our Web site at www.law.mercer.edu or call (478) 301-5000.
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