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	Announcements and Press Releases Archive


	2008-2009 Season ADR Victories The ADR Division sent a team of four to this year’s Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot in Frankfurt, Germany. Hugh Carlson, Kelechi Acholonu, Benjamin McKinnon, and Tihua Huang put up a fantastic performance for our first year competing in this relatively young moot, coming in third overall in a field of teams from around the world. The team advanced to the semi-finals, and was only stopped from going further by La Trobe, the Australian school that eventually took home first place. Congratulations to our rock star arbitrators! * Georgetown creates top-notch mediators, that’s for sure. Four ADR students – Stephen Winslow, Michael Sheehan, Derek Love, and Anne Nudson – represented the school at this year’s ABA Mediation Competition, and Derek and Anne took home the first prize honors! The team was coached admirably by Jerry Roscoe, an adjunct at GWU Law and long-time mediator at JAMS, The Resolution Experts. Unfortunately, a scheduling conflict prevented our team from competing at Nationals as well, but we are incredibly proud of these guys – congratulations! * The ADR Division also sent a team, for the fourth year in a row, to the prestigious ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition. Catherine Clancy, John Stith, Jaelyn Edwards, and Joshua Nelson took part in a weeklong, grueling test of their written and oral mediation skills. Although the teams did not make the finals, they were roundly applauded by the many professional arbitrators and mediators in attendance, and came back glowing. Their coach, also Jerry Roscoe of JAMS, is very proud of their performance, and took compliments on their behalf from many of his colleagues. * Benjamin Klein and Andrea Yang, stood up for Georgetown at one of the oldest ADR competitions around – the ABA Client Counseling Competition. In this tricky and fun competition, competitors play solo practitioners who have received a single line from their secretary in preparation for an initial client interview. Based off that single-line message, they have to research potential legal issues and be prepared to talk to clients about options, what more research needs to be done, payment plans, and immediate essential legal advice. Our team this year did not have a regular practitioner-coach, but with the help of Anya Prince, a member of the team that rocked this competition last year, Ben and Andrea did a bang-up job and brought honor and glory to the name of Georgetown Law. * This year, Georgetown hosted the oldest of the American ADR competitions – the ABA Negotiation Competition – and, as always, sent a crack team to compete in a very difficult competition. Greg Hopewell and Teri Seigal, and Tanya Faisal and Benjamin Klein tackled the depths of Elder Law, making incredibly hard negotiating choices around an end-of-life-care problem. The team was coached by a combination of lawyer-practitioners, as our traditional coach, Steve Altman (an adjunct, former DOJ attorney, and independent mediator in town), handed over the lead coaching duties halfway through the semester to help make our hosting a great success. Tina Drake-Zimmerman of the Supreme Court Institute and Estie Dallett, of Dickstein Shapiro LLP, took over from Steve in the latter half of the semester and did an amazing job. Neither team advanced to the final round, which was swept by Liberty University, but our guys put up an astounding fight, and we applaud them! * Mock Trial Victories Congratulations to Ayotunde Otukoya and Trisha Pasdach for winning the Greenhalgh Mock Trial competition! They were joined in an incredible final round by Meredith Garagiola and Bryan Kennedy. The four finalists argued in front of the Honorable Reggie B. Walton from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. * Congratulations to Manuel Guarch, Jeremiah Nelson, Kevin Davis, and Lisa Hughes for advancing to the semifinals of the Quinnipiac University School of Law ABA Trial Competition! In addition, Manuel Guarch won an individual award for Best Direct Examination. The team was coached by two attorneys from the Department of Justice, Natalie Call and Shayla McCormally. * Congratulations to Dan Shuey, Danielle Owens, Brent Wisner, and Joanna Saul for putting on an impressive performance in the National White Collar Crime Competition, with Brent Wisner taking home the award for Best Advocate. * Congratulations to Mark Williams, Faiza Mathon Mathieu, Brent Wisner, Manuel Guarch, Jessica McCurdy, John Kalas, Jared Kirkwood, and Clayton Northouse successfully competed in the American Association of Justice National Student Trial Advocacy Competition. The team was coached by Charlie Lemley, an attorney at Wiley Rein. * Congratulations to Jean-Marc Chanoine, Nicholas Nyemah, Yemi Ojutiku, and Heather Sigler won second place at the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition Regionals and advanced to the National Round. They were coached by Cassandre Theano. * Congratulations to Steven Nigh, Sarah Wappett-Kendall, and Donald Roth placed fourth in the 46th Annual Academy of Trial Lawyers Mock Trial Competition in Pittsburgh, PA. * Congratulations to Tim Middleton and Tom Duncombe made it to Semi-Finals of the National Trial Competition and Laura Perry and James Murdaco made it to Finals. They were coached by Scot Hinshaw of Hunton and Williams and Amy Collen, previously of Hogan and Hartson and now clerking for Judge Messitte in the District of Maryland. Scot and Amy are both Georgetown Law graduates and previous Greenhalgh Competition winners! * Manuel Guarch, Frank Balsamello, Jason Lewis, and Jonathan Krisch won second place at the Capitol City Challenge Trial Competition, hosted by American University Law School. The team was coached by Jenae Noell, a former California state prosecutor and current LLM student at Georgetown. * Joseph Audal, Jill Streja, Brent Wisner, and Tyler Mark won the National Ethics Trial Competition in Sacramento, CA hosted by the Pacific McGeorge School of Law. In addition, Brent Wisner was awarded Top Advocate. The team was coached by Shayla McCormally, an attorney at the Department of Justice. Moot Court Victories Congratulations to Virginia Sorrell for winning the 2009 Robert J. Beaudry competition! Virginia was joined by Abhi Raghunathan, Elizabeth Spavins, and Jack Mellyn in the final round. The finalists argued in front of a distinguished panel of judges: Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. of the United States Supreme Court, Judge Thomas L. Ambro of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Judge Sharon Prost of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Chief Justice Laura D. Smith of the Supreme Court of Missouri, and Judge Diane P. Wood of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Congratulations also go to Michael Beder for winning the Best Brief Award! * Congratulations to Christina Calce and Lorinda Laryea for winning the North American Regionals of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition hosted by GULC. Lorinda Laryea also won Best Oralist for North America. Good luck to the team as they prepare for the World Finals to be held in South Korea. The team was coached by Robert Gajarsa and Jonathan Reisman. * Congratulations to Sarah Waldrop and Ed Duffy for winning the NYU Immigration Law Moot Court competition in New York! Sarah Waldrop also received the Best Oralist award. They were coached by Kimberly Witherspoon and Oliver Tuholske. * Congratulations to Justin Murray and Jacob Siler for winning the Luke Charles Moore Invitational Moot Court Competition at Howard University! The team was coached by Kimberly Witherspoon and Ali Kargbo. * Congratulations to Randy Nahle and David Suozzi who competed in the European Tax College Competition held in Leuven, Belgium. The team won a number of awards, including the Prize for the Winning Team, Prize for the Best Pleading Team, Prize for Best Oral Team on Behalf of the Defendant, and Prize for the Best Individual Defendant (Randy Nahle). The team was coached by Sharon Doku. * Congratulations to Laura Brookover and Michael Day who advanced to the semifinal round of the Dean Jerome Prince Moot Court Competition. The team was coached by Kelly Anderson and Elana Newberger. * Congratulations to Jeremy Robison and Bobby Lepore impressively argued their way into the semifinal round at the ACS Constance Baker Motley Moot Court tournament's eastern division. The team defeated teams from Boston Univ., Mass. School of Law, BYU, and Harvard, giving them a top-four finish in a competitive field of 45 teams. The team was coached by Marisa Armanino and Jeff Morrow. * Congratulations to Alex White and Kenny Alex who reached the semifinals of the National Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition, finishing in third place. The team was coached by Candace Arthur, Diamond Hicks, Sibongile Mack-Williams, and Roy Prather. * Congratulations to Alex White and Kenny Alce for winning the Mid-Atlantic Regional Competition of the Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition! The team also won Best Respondent's Brief, and Alex and Kenny shared the title of Best Oral Advocate. They will advance to the national rounds and were coached by last year's national champions and national runners-up, Roy Prather, Sibo Mack-Williams, Candace Arthur, and Diamond Hicks. * Congratulations to Ari Meltzer and Christine McIsaac for advancing to the quarterfinals of the William B. Spong Constitutional Law Moot Court competition in Williamsburg, Virginia! The team also won the 3rd Best Brief in the tournament. They were coached by Bob Wille and Su Jin Kim. * Congratulaions to Wei Xiang and Joseph Mathews who reached the quarterfinals of the National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition held at Pace University Law School. The team was coached by Sarah Fox and Lindsay Hogan. * Congratulations to David Young and Steven Giballa for successfully competing in the George Washington National Security Law Moot Court Competition! David Young also won Third Best Oralist award. The team was coached by Dan Kahan and Andrew Oja. * In 2009, Georgetown competed for the very first time in the Niagara International Competition. Riley Graebner and Jessica Bogo represented Georgetown and successfully competed in this exciting new tournament. The team finished 7th after arguing before panels of chilly Candadian judges and practitioners. The team was coached by Jeff Luoma and John Toro. * In 2009, Georgetown competed for the very first time in the Saul Leftkowitz Moot Court Competition. Andrew Patrick and Todd Amanrepresented Georgetown and successfully competed in this exciting new tournament. The team was coached by Clint Rickards and Mike Holt. * Congratulations to Colin Richard, Shaimaa Hussein, Elizabeth Allen, and Addison Draper who represented Georgetown and successfully competed in the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. The team was coached by Yao Li, Laura Nally, Chris Register. * Congratulations to Christine McIsaac for winning the 2008 Leahy Moot Court Competition! Ms. McIsaac was joined in an incredible final round by Christina Calce, Erika Stallings, and Lew Jan Olowski. The finalists argued in front of a distinguished panel that included the Honorable Timothy B. Dyk, from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Honorable Marvin J. Garbis, from the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, and the Honorable Roger W. Titus, from the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. * 2007-2008 Season ADR Victories Congratulations to Leah Recht and Anne Nudson, who successfully competed at the Merhige National Environmental Negotiation Competition in Richmond, VA. The pair won both of their preliminary rounds, but did not advance to finals. They were coached by Robin Juni. * Congratulations to the team of Danielle Brown, Richard Meng, John Stith, and Natalia Napoleon for successfully competing at the The Annual Willem C. Vis (West) International Commercial Arbitration Moot held in Vienna, Austria, March 13rd-19th 2008. The team competed alongside a field of 203 Universities from 52 Countries. Individually, John Stith received Honorable Mention in the Oral Arguments. The team was coached by David Branson, Lynn Fraser, and Mark Kantor. * Congratulations to the team of Joshua Wiersma, Fang "Maggie" Fang, Jaelyn Edwards, and Kareem Saleh for their outstanding performance at the The Annual Willem C. Vis (East) International Commercial Arbitration Moot held in Hong Kong, March 3rd-9th 2008. The team earned 8th Place overall in Oral Arguments among a field of 52 Universities from 13 Countries. The team also received an Honorable Mention for Respondent's Memorandum. Individually, Joshua Wiersma, Jaelyn Edwards, and Kareem Saleh each received Honorable Mention in the Oral Arguments. The team was coached by David Branson, Lynn Fraser, and Mark Kantor. * Congratulations to students Toya Carmichael, Robert Cox, Brian Giacometti, and Michen Tah who successfully competed in the 3rd ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition in Paris, France. The team did not advance to the finals, but won two of its four preliminary rounds and lost another round in a narrow tie-break. They were coached by Jerry Roscoe, an arbitrator and mediator with Jams, the Resolution Experts in Washington DC. * Congratulations to students Catherine Clancy, Jee Lee, Lauren Morgan, and Ryan Mrazik who successfully competed in the ABA Mid-Atlantic Regional Mediation Competition in Washington, DC. They were coached by Jerry Roscoe, an arbitrator and mediator with Jams, the Resolution Experts in Washington DC. * Congratulations to Anya Prince and Geraldine Muir for placing third at the ABA Regional Client Counseling competition! After finishing in first place for both the preliminary and semi-final rounds, Anya and Geraldine put on a stellar performance in the finals, the best showing in school history at the regionals. They were coached by Jessica Boger. * More congratulations are in order for Brian Corcoran and Henrika Buchanan-Smith, who competed at the ABA National Negotiation Competition in Los Angeles, CA. They put in a stellar effort, winning both of their preliminary rounds. * Congratulations to Brian Corcoran and Henrika Buchanan-Smith on their 3rd place victory (following a three-way tie for first) at the ABA Regional Negotiation Competition in Wilmington, DE! The two have been invited to the ABA National Negotiation Competition to be held on February 8-9, 2008 in Los Angeles, CA. The team, which also included students Adam Handwork and Josh Bachrach, was coached by Adjunct Professor Steve Altman. Prof. Altman was particularly proud of the way the students worked together to prepare for the difficult elimination rounds, and felt that Henrika and Brian "excelled at balancing a forceful representation of their client with a strong effort to work with the other side to solve problems." We wish them the best of luck in Los Angeles! * Students Erick Flores, Nancy Dinsmore, Danielle Young, and Cristina Brayton traveled to Birmingham, AL, where they successfully competed in the ABA Regional Arbitration Competition. They were coached by P. Jean Baker. * Mock Trial Victories Congratulations to Ryan Creighton and Ari Meltzer for winning the 2008 William W. Greenhalgh Mock Trial Competition here at Georgetown! Ryan and Ari were joined in the final round by runner-ups James Murdaco and Donald Roth. The competitors argued an emotional case about a deadly highway accident, and who should bear the resulting costs. The Honorable John Bates, from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, presided over the trial. The scoring judges were Amy Collen, an associate at Hogan & Hartson and a Law Center graduate; Elizabeth Curtis, Managing Attorney at the Neighborhood Legal Services Program; and Prof. Jane Aiken from the Law Center. * Congratulations are in order for Lucy Tufts and Laura Perry, who finished as semi-finalists at the regional level of the National Trial Competition! They were coached by Scott Hinshaw and Amy Collen. * Moot Court Victories Congratulations to the Georgetown teams that dominated this year's Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition National Tournament, winning BOTH First and Second place! Sibo Mack-Williams and Roy Prather III took home this year's National Championship, with Candace Arthur and Diamond Hicks ranking as the National First Runners-Up! This is the first time since 2001 that Georgetown has taken both of the top spots in the nation at this prestigious tournament. Candace and Diamond were also honored with the award for the National Best Brief for the Respondent! The teams were coached by La Toya Sutton, Marquest Meeks, and Jasmine Krishnan, all Georgetown Law graduates and Barristers' Council alums who donated their time and effort to help bring about this amazing success! * Congratulations to Bob Wille and Su Jin Kim for reaching the semifinals of the William B. Spong Constitutional Law Moot Court competition in Williamsburg, Virginia! The team also won the 3rd Best Brief in the tournament. They were coached by Jim Harper and Jacqueline James. * Congratulations to Kimberly Witherspoon and Oliver Tuholske for reaching the quarterfinals of the NYU Immigration Law Moot Court competition in New York! Oliver also received the 3rd Best Oralist award. They were coached by Jenny Hua and Wyatt Feeler. * Congratulations to Daniel Kahan and Haewan Bae for reaching the quarterfinals of the Ruby R. Vale Corporate Law Moot Court competition in Wilmington, DE! They were coached by Joe Gallagher and Colin Forbes. * Congratulations to Sharon Doku and Daniel Hughes for winning Best Oral Team for the Defendant at the European Tax College Moot Court Competition in Leuven, Belgium. Sharon and Daniel also finished fifth in the overall competition (it’s also important to note that they were forced to take a score deduction because they competed in English, and that point was more than the difference between them and the other semifinalists!). Geoff Rodriguez and Nick Dayton deserve special recognition for coaching and preparing this team so well. *** Congratulations to Jeffrey Morrow and Marisa Michele Armanino for making the final round at the American Constitution Society’s Constance Baker Motley National Moot Court Tournament. Through the preceding five rounds, Jeff & Marisa roundly beat teams from Harvard, Chicago, Rutgers, GW, and Colorado. Also competing (and beaten by implication) were two teams from NYU and four from Columbia, as well as a host of other teams from around the country. Jeff and Marisa’s success was made possible by the dedication of their amazing coach, Ben Schuman. * Congratulations to Shauna Prewitt, George Gilbert, and Chris McRae for finishing second out of 39 teams at the John J. Gibbons Criminal Procedure Moot Court Competition at Seton Hall University. The team also won an award for writing the second-best Respondent’s Brief. Special recognition goes to their fantastic coaches Jesse Weiss and Natanyah Ganz. Congratulations to Ari Meltzer for winning the 2008 Beaudry Competition here at Georgetown! Ari was joined in the final round by Ryan Creighton, Laura Brookover, and Jeffrey Hantson, each of whom delivered a stellar performance in our largest Beaudry tournament ever. The finalists argued a case based on Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow, a 2004 case dealing with the constitutionality of the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. Georgetown was honored to have a star-studded panel of judges for the final round: U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement; The Hon. Arthur Gajarsa, from the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; The Hon. M. Margaret McKeown, from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; The Hon. D. Brooks Smith, from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; and The Hon. Brett M. Kavanaugh, from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. * Congratulations to Christian Vidal, Nicholas Austin and Susan Louie for making the Grand Final of the North America Regional Round of the ELSA Moot Court WTO Law competition! This success means that the team will advance to the Final Oral Round in Geneva, Switzerland. Capping off the weekend, Christian Vidal was awarded the prize for Best Orator of the Preliminary Round. The team was coached by Elizabeth Goergen. * Congratulations to Lindsay Hogan and Sarah Fox for making the final round at the National Environmental Law Moot Court competition! Lindsay and Sarah beat out 69 other teams to make it to finals, with Sarah also taking home the Best Oralist award. They were coached by Kendrick Wilson and Mika Ikeda, last year's National Environmental Law champions. * Congratulations to our teams who dominated the Frederick Douglass Moot Court competition this year! Roy Prather, III and Sibongile Mack-Williams became this year's champions at the MABLSA Regional Competition. Diamond Hicks and Candace Arthur were the second runner-up squad, and also won the award for the Best Respondent's Brief. Candace also walked away with the Best Oral Advocate prize. These wildly-successful teams were coached by a panel of Barristers' Council alums: Vicki Hightower, La Toya Sutton, and Marquest Meeks. Our congrats go out to student and coach alike! * Congratulations to Zathrina Perez and Tony Biagioli for winning Best Brief and making the semifinals at the National Telecommunications Moot Court tournament, held on February 1-2 at Catholic University, here in Washington, DC! THey were coached by Jeff Campione, our Director of Appellate Advocacy, and Meghan Edwards-Ford. * Congratulations to David Shaw for winning the 2007 Leahy Moot Court Competition! Mr. Shaw was joined in an incredible final round by Sachin Gupta, Daniel Hughes, and Christopher Register. The finalists argued the constitutionality of statutes prohibiting child pornography in front of a star-studded panel that included the Honorable Alexander Williams, Jr., from the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, the Honorable Cheryl M. Long, from the District of Columbia Superior Court, and Mr. Thomas Goldstein, head of the Supreme Court practice at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP. * 2006-2007 Season Mock Trial Victories Congratulations to Jessica Galante and Shermela Williams on their 4th place victory at The National Trial Competition. Congratulations to Ellie Boragine and Lucy Jones who finished as Semi-finalists in the competition. The team was coached by Scot Hinshaw. The Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial team took 2nd place in the MABLSA regional competition! Congratulations to Anita Barksdale, Shwanda Harris, Lawanna Kimbro, and S. Gail Reid for all of their hard work and a job well done! They were certainly zealous advocates! The team was lead to victory by their spirited coaches Attorney Donald Temple and Shermela Williams. In March, the team will compete in the National Competition in Atlanta, GA. * Moot Court Victories Congratulations to Victoria Hightower and LaToya Sutton for becoming the Frederick Douglass Moot Court Champions for the Mid-Atlantic region, coached by Karla Gilbride, Regan Williams Herald, and Jasmine Krishnan. Ms. Sutton also took home the Best Oral Advocate award. In March, the team will compete in the National Competition in Atlanta, GA. * Congratulations to the National Telecommunications team. Jeff Campione and Meghan Edwards-Ford finished as Semi-finalists in their competition, coached by Tarsha Luke Kevin Trowel and David Edelstein. * Congratulations to Ben Schuman, Alan Tannenwald, Eileen Keeley and Raya Bakalov in the London Law Review International Moot Court Competition. The team beat out 14 other teams from the US, the UK, and India to make it an all-Georgetown final round. Ben Schuman and Alan Tannenwald took 1st place, and Eileen Keeley and Raya Bakalov brought home a 2nd place victory. The team was coached by Skye Perryman, Kevin Pavlik, Karla Schultz, and Andrene Smith. * Congratulations to Mika Ikeda and Kendrick Wilson who won the National Environmental Moot Court Competition! Mika and Kendrick beat out 66 other teams and led Georgetown to victory! The competition was held at PACE University in White Plains, NY. The team was coached by Karin Krattli and Jennifer Walrath. * Congratulations to the Jessup International Moot Court team! Jonathan Keim, Karen Lee, Mike Mancini, and Kartik Sharma put forward a great effort in the regional competition and showcased their formidable oral advocacy skills. The team was coached by Andrew Ditchfield, Shahed Sophia Fakhari, John Hightower, and Eric Macaux. Live the Jessup! * Congratulations to Emil Bove, Deanna Durrett, and Liz Rose! The team represented Georgetown at the National Appellate Advocacy Regional Competition held in D.C. The team was not only awarded for Best Regional Brief but also placed in the top four (having won all five of its rounds) out of 32 teams! Emil, Deanna, and Liz, coached by Matt Tievfsky, will now advance to the national tournament in Chicago. Good luck!! * Congratulations to Jacqueline James, Jim Harper, and Garland Bonifant who represented Georgetown at the Wiliam B. Spong, Jr.Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition! The team, coached by Brandon Clippinger and Brian Wallach, advanced to the semi-finalist round! The tournament took place on February 16th and 17th in Williamsburg, Virginia. * Congratulations to Antony Haynes and Sarah Hale who placed as semi-finalists the Cardozo/BMI Entertainment Law Moot Court in New York, NY! Antony also won the award for best oral advocate. The team was coached by William Spieler and Eli Strassfeld. * Congratulations to the WTO Moot Court team! The team - Elizabeth Goergen, Zeeshan Hafeez, Sean Kulkarni and Eliyahu Wolfe - has advanced to the Final Oral Round! The advocates and their coach Renato Gomes will travel to Geneva, Switzerland in May to compete. Wish them good luck! *** Revised October 14, 2009 (srw)