Boston University School of Law Wins National Moot Court Competition

University of Iowa College of Law Places Second

Boston University School of Law won the final round of the 75th Annual National Moot Court Competition held January 31. The winning team was comprised of Henry Drembus, Preetham Chippada and Michael Gorman and was coached by Jennifer McCloskey. University of Iowa College of Law was the runner-up, with a team comprised of Alex Lewis, Siduri Beckman and Lydia Lavrova.

Best Brief honors went to University of Washington School of Law with Runner-Up Best Brief awarded to University of Georgia School of Law.

Best Oralist in the Final Round was Henry Drembus of Boston University School of Law. Runner-Up Best Oralist in the Final Round was Alex Lewis of University of Iowa College of Law.

The final round was judged by Muhammad Faridi, President, New York City Bar Association; Richard H. Deane, Jr., President, American College of Trial Lawyers; Hon. Eunice Lee, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; Hon. Jenny Rivera, United States Court of Appeals and Hon. Ellen Gesmer, New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Term, 1st Department.

This year’s Record on Appeal addresses issues of Article III standing and discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (the “ADA”). Competitors in this year’s tournament are confronted with two issues:

The first is whether a family of disabled individuals has standing to bring an ADA claim against an all-inclusive resort for its lack of website accessibility and second, whether the resort’s amusement park rider eligibility criteria is deemed “necessary” under the ADA

The final argument was the culmination of more than six months of preparation and arguments by 148 teams from over 108 law schools across the country. The top two teams from each of 15 regional competitions advanced to the final rounds.

The Competition is co-sponsored by the American College of Trial Lawyers and the National Moot Court Competition Committee of the New York City Bar Association, co-chaired by Heidi Goldsmith and Sabrina Smith. Photos are available on request.