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USD Takes Honors at National Civil Rights and Liberties Moot Court Competition

Atlanta (October 16, 2011) — Four University of San Diego (USD) School of Law students participated in the Civil Rights and Liberties Moot Court Competition hosted by Emory School of Law in October. Third-year students Craig Tenbroeck and Tiffanie McDowell were semi-finalists in the competition and they also received the second place brief award. Their teammates, third-year students Catherine Hampton and Noah Buxton, reached round 16 of the tournament. Due to both teams’ high-ranking performance, USD School of Law earned points towards national moot court ranking. Currently, USD’s moot court program is ranked ninth in the country.

The USD team was coached by Andrew Haden, '08, winner of the 2007 Paul A. McLennon Sr. Honors Moot Court Competition and an assistant U.S. Attorney in the San Diego office. The team received assistance from California Court of Appeal Justices Richard Huffman and Gilbert Nares, as well as several San Diego practitioners who aided the team in oral arguments. The competition featured 32 teams from law schools across the country, including South Texas, Baylor and Georgia, ranked as three of the top moot court programs. Schools were limited to two teams each, each comprised of two or three students. The tournament included three preliminary rounds before eliminations began, and certificates were given to the best briefs, best preliminary round oralists and winning teams.

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. The 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.