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Howard Beats Harvard at National Moot Court Competition

By Ayesha Rascoe
Black College Wire

The Howard University Law School's moot court team took first place in the American Bar Association Mock Trial Competition, the first team representing a historically black college or university to do so.

Photo credit: The Hilltop "We are the best trial advocates," said a member of Howard's Huver I. Brown Trial Adovocacy Moot Court Team.

Eighteen law schools, including two-time, reigning champion Harvard University, competed.

"It solidified the fact that although others think we are a third-tier law school, we are the best trial advocates," said Chris Stewart, a third-year law student and a team member.

"No mathematical equation can calculate our excellence in trial advocacy."

Stewart was named best advocate in the April 2 competition.

The Huver I. Brown Trial Adovocacy Moot Court Team includes 20 law students in their second and third years. The tournament, now in its 15th year, hosted teams of four.

Stewart, Adonna Bannister, Nisha Brooks and Derrick Simmons represented the law school.

Team members were chosen through a series of competitions. First, open slots for the moot court team were filled through an intra-school competition at the end of the spring semester. In the fall term, members competed among themselves to decide who would represent the university in tournaments.

"Our success is due to our faith in each other as teammates, our diligent preparation and our belief that we will do whatever is necessary to represent our school and our community to the best of our abilities," Errick D. Simmons, captain of the moot court team, said.

When the team advanced, Simmons had the announcer spell out "Howard" so that the audience would not mistakenly hear "Harvard."

"The team we won against was good and we were just a little better," Brooks, a third-year law student, said. "It wasn't a slam dunk. It wasn't easy, we put in a lot of work, time and a lot of late nights."

"We are ecstatic about being able to contribute to the legacy of Howard Law," Derrick Simmons said. "I love Patrick Swygert for his vision, Dean [Kurt] Schmoke for his leadership of the law school, and faculty, staff, and students for their continued support," referring to the university president and law school dean, respectively.

The team has competed in four competitions this year and placed well in all of them. Another group of Huver I. Brown team members placed first in the eastern regional competition of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. The team planned to compete in the association's national competition in West Palm Beach, Fla., which was to take place until April 10.

Ayesha Rascoe, a student at Howard University, writes for the Hilltop.

Posted April 8, 2005