The National Moot Court Competition is an annual inter-law school event designed to promote the art of appellate advocacy. The competition is sponsored by the New York City Bar Association’s National Moot Court Competition Committee and the American College of Trial Lawyers and is one of the longest running and honored competitions of its kind. Every year, over 120 law schools compete in regional rounds throughout the United States, with the top two teams advancing to the final rounds in New York City.
Working with a nearly 50-page record, the team had four weeks to research and write an appellate brief on First Amendment issues regarding Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, and the protections of the “Reporters Shield.” The team practiced almost daily for the remaining weeks leading up to the competition. The team worked tirelessly with student and faculty coaches to perfect their oral arguments. Leslie Gonzalez said the work paid off: “If you put in the time and effort, you will succeed!”
“[FIU Professor and coach] Judge Kotey, Leslie, and I made a great team,” Kristia Hoffman adds. “Our fellow members were so invested in our success – they didn’t just encourage us and cheer us on, but brought new ideas to the table and were tough on us when they needed to be. We definitely would not have been a winning team without the rest of the moot court members!”
To learn more about FIU College of Law’s Moot Court team, visit their website or follow them on social media.