Two MSU Law Teams Advance to ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition

For the first time in MSU College of Law’s recent history, two Moot Court teams have advanced to the American Bar Association’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition set for April 8-10, 2021.

The two MSU Law teams consist of Charlie Clark, ’21, Lauren Legner, ’22, and Brandon Cross, ’22; and Alana Ballantyne, ’21, Rachel Westmaas, ’21, and Alexander Numbers, ’22.

Both teams competed in the ABA’s Brooklyn Regional Competition on February 25-27, 2021, where they went undefeated through five rounds. Only four teams from each region advance to Nationals, and MSU Law took the top two spots, receiving additional accolades from the judges as well.

Legner was recognized as the third-place top speaker among an estimated 80-90 competing students. Cross, with his teammates, was awarded fourth place for their brief submission, while Westmaas and her team’s brief was just .13 points behind.

Most schools send two teams to the ABA’s Regional Competitions, but, according to Jennifer Copland, the director of MSU Law’s Competitions Program, advancing both teams to Nationals is very rare. Copland co-coached the teams with alumnus Mitch Piper, ’18. She described the immense preparation and hard work that contributed to the teams’ success, particularly while distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our ABA students have worked incredibly hard this year and have scheduled more inter-team scrimmages than ever before. In that respect, Zoom has a silver lining. It makes connecting with judges and teammates easier and more convenient than in past years, and our students have taken advantage,” Copland said. “But the other side of the coin is that some of these students, who have spent tens of hours together on Zoom, have never actually met in person. I’ve never met some of them in person. And that's virtual Moot Court. Nobody likes it, but our students' strength is really coming through this year.”

The teams were thrilled about the outcome, having worked together in various ways over the last several months.

“I think it makes it more exciting,” Legner explained. “Going to Nationals by itself, and how well we did, that’s an accomplishment all on its own, but to also do it with the other team that you’ve been practicing with for months – these people are now my friends – just makes the experience so much more exciting. It feels like an even bigger accomplishment that we were all able to do it together.”

Clark was a member of one of the two teams that competed in the ABA’s Oklahoma City Regional Competition in March 2020. The team of Jordan Giles, ’20, Allison Kruschke, ’20, and Hannah Buzolits, ’20, advanced to Nationals only for the competition to be canceled due to COVID-19, though they were eventually recognized with the award for National Best Brief.

While Nationals will again look different this year, being hosted in a virtual format, the MSU Law teams are preparing to take the national stage with confidence.

“I really think that our styles are such that we’re going to do well at the competition – both teams,” Ballantyne said. “I’m really excited for us to get the opportunity to even compete, which not many teams do. I really feel that we have a good opportunity to go pretty far, so I’m excited.”