Mercer University School of Law has brought home another advocacy national championship. Mercer Law students John Flowers and Zach Mullinax are the National Moot Court Competition Champions, the second advocacy team in four months and fourth over the last year to win a national title.
The 73rd Annual National Moot Court competition is co-sponsored by the New York City Bar Association and the American College of Trial Lawyers, and this year had 189 law schools from across the country competing. The national finals were held Jan. 30-Feb. 2 in New York City.
“It was a delight to watch the final round of this national competition via livestream,” said interim law Dean Karen J. Sneddon. “John and Zach were knowledgeable, thoughtful and adaptive advocates. They expertly wove dozens of cases, scores of facts from the record, and nuanced policy considerations into responses from the pointed questions from the justices in a manner that advanced their arguments.
“What we saw were not student competitors talking about a fictional litigation matter; we saw competent, compelling advocates who will be valuable members of the legal profession. The law school community is delighted to celebrate this much-deserved recognition.”
For the final round, Flowers received the “Best Oral Advocate” award and Mullinax received the runner-up “Best Oral Advocate” award. The Mercer Law team received the runner-up “Best Brief” award. The team was supported by student coach Stephen Greenway, alumni coach Elliza Guta, ’22, and Director of Advocacy Katie Powers, ‘09.
“We’re incredibly blessed to have such a great team,” said Mullinax, a 2020 graduate of Mercer’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “John’s a real unflappable powerhouse, and we couldn’t ask for better coaches. It really does take a team of people like Katie Powers, Elliza Guta and Stephen Greenway, who are willing to spend hours on end to make sure we are prepared.”
As an alumni coach, Guta is honored to help the moot court team succeed.
“This victory would not have been possible without the hard work and determination of so many, especially our outstanding advocates and student coach,” said Guta. “We are so proud of them and cannot wait to see how Director Powers continues to grow the (advocacy) program.”
Powers is proud of the championship group’s dedication.
“The final round was a masterclass on appellate advocacy, but more importantly a reflection of hundreds of hours of hard work,” she said. “It is impossible to encapsulate all the wonderful things that our team did, said and achieved.”
The Mercer Law Advocacy program has seen incredible success under the direction of Powers, and the program continues to guide students on their way to becoming dedicated and prepared lawyers.
“This national championship proves what many already knew to be true: Mercer is a leader in legal education and produces attorneys who succeed at the highest levels,” said Greenway. “A huge congratulations to Director of Advocacy Katie Powers and the entire Mercer Law community on this historic accomplishment.”
Flowers looks forward to seeing Mercer Law’s continued success on the biggest advocacy competition stages across the country.
“This is just the beginning,” he said. “The culture within our advocacy teams is truly unique. Everybody here is all in, and that collective commitment to the mission drives our success.”
