In a competition of 182 teams, FIU Law students Katryna Santa Cruz, Jordan Esteban, and Michael Ellis earned 3rd Best Brief in the Nation for their brief in the NAAC Moot Court National Competition (ABA). This is the same brief that earned 2nd Best Brief at the Brooklyn Regional during spring break of this year. The NAAC re-scored the briefs for those teams advancing to the National Competition, which resulted in increasing their score of 84.66 to an even 90.00. Their team became one of only four teams from the Brooklyn region to qualify for Nationals, and thus, they were expected to represent FIU Law at the ABA National Tournament in Chicago in April. However, due to COVID-19, the oral argument portion of the National Competition was canceled.
This is the first time in school history that the Moot Court Team has earned a brief award at the National level of a Tier 1 competition—albeit, the team has had consistent success at competitions in Tiers 2 – 4.