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Two Moot Court Teams Reach “Final Four” at Child Welfare Moot Court Competition

COLUMBUS, Ohio (March 19, 2011)—Two University of San Diego School of Law national moot court teams edged out 24 teams from law schools across the country to compete in the semi-final round at the National Center for Adoption Law & Policy’s 6th Annual Moot Court Competition in Child Welfare & Adoption Law on March 18-19, 2011, in Columbus, Ohio. This year, teams competed by presenting mock appellate arguments in a case involving a wrongful adoption claim.

The two USD moot court teams to reach the “final four” consisted of Tyler Hazen and Kerri Lutfey as well as Cody Payne and Kianne Holnagel. Along the way to the semi-finals, both teams received awards for “Best Brief.” Hazen and Payne also received medals for best oral arguments for their performance during the three preliminary rounds.

“I am so proud of our national team members,” said Kris Panikowski, moot court advisor and lawyering skills instructor at USD School of Law. “They achieved an outstanding result and put the skills learned here at USD to excellent use.”

Teams were coached by Andrew Haden, class of ’07, winner of the 2007 Paul A. McLennon, Sr. Honors Moot Court Competition and now assistant U.S. attorney in the San Diego office. Special thanks to Professor Bob Fellmeth and the Children’s Advocacy Institute, California Court of Appeal Justices Richard Huffman and Patricia Benke as well as all the San Diego practitioners who assisted the team in oral argument practices.

See the competition results online.

About the University of San Diego School of Law
The University of San Diego School of Law is a center of academic excellence focused on preparing its students for legal practice in the new century. One of the most selective law schools in the country, the School of Law’s nationally recognized faculty create a demanding, yet welcoming environment that emphasizes individualized education. USD law school graduates consistently score higher than the state average on the California Bar Exam and go on to practice law throughout the country and abroad, forming an influential network of alumni. USD School of Law is one of only 81 law schools in the country to have a chapter of the Order of the Coif, the most distinguished rank of American law schools. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1954, the law school is part of the University of San Diego, a private, nonprofit, independent, Roman Catholic university chartered in 1949.