February 26, 2018
The FIU Law Board of Appellate Advocates took second place at the 59th Annual Phillip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court United States South Regional Tournament. By advancing to the championship round of the United States South Regional Tournament, FIU Law will be one of twelve law schools representing the United States in the White & Case International Championship Rounds in Washington D.C. on April 1-7, 2018.
This year marks FIU Law’s return to the Phillip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition after a six-year hiatus.
FIU Law Board of Appellate Advocate members Alina Fernandez, Yunet Soto, Janet Rayo, and Amaia Sanz de Acedo traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana with Professor Margaret Correoso and Moot Court Co-President, Ana Cuello, to represent FIU Law in this year’s United States South Regional Tournament. As one of the nineteen teams at the United States South Regional Tournament, FIU Law advanced to the quarterfinal round after defeating Emory Law, Loyola, and St. Thomas in the preliminary rounds.
In the quarterfinals, FIU Law defeated Stetson University College of Law to advance to the semifinals against the top seeded team from the University of Georgia. In the semifinals against out-of-state rival Georgia, FIU Law upset the #1 seed and advanced to the regional championship round, securing a place in the White & Case International Championship Rounds. In a close 2-1 decision, FIU Law fell to Fordham University in the championship round.
Reflecting on the successes of the competition, Professor Margaret Correoso said, “I could not be more proud to be a part of a team that finished as the runner-up in a tough regional and advanced to the international rounds as one of 12 out of 450 schools competing to represent the United States.”
In addition to the team success at this year’s United States South Regional Tournament, second-year students Alina Fernandez and Janet Rayo took home individual awards. Janet Rayo took home the award for 5th best orator, and Alina Fernandez took home the award for 8th best orator out of 78 competitors in this year’s regionals. After receiving her award and learning that she will represent FIU Law and the United States in the International Championship Rounds, Alina Fernandez stated that she “enjoys every round and every challenge as much as the final result. The regional rounds were an unforgettable experience, and I cannot wait to represent FIU Law, as one of twelve law schools in the country, and the only school from Florida, in this year’s international championships.”
This will be FIU Law’s first trip to the White & Case International Championship Rounds in Washington D.C., where FIU Law will represent the United States along with Yale University, Columbia University, the University of Virginia, New York University, and Fordham University, among others. At the international championships, FIU Law will compete against law schools from around the world, including Japan, Pakistan, Australia, Italy, and Armenia. FIU Law Moot Court Co-President, Sam Basch, stated that “FIU Law looks forward to the opportunity to represent the city of Miami, the state of Florida, and the United States in this year’s international championships. The success of these four tremendous competitors is a testament to the work ethic and dedication that is uniquely found at FIU Law.”
For more information on the FIU Law Board of Appellate Advocates, please visit the team’s website at https://law.fiu.edu/academics/appellate-advocacy/. In addition, please fell free to reach out to Presidents Sam Basch (sbasc007@fiu.edu) and Ana Cuello (acuel020@fiu.edu) with any questions or inquiries about the team.