One of Liberty’s Moot Court Teams Wins Prestigious Tournament

A team from Liberty University’s undergraduate Moot Court won the national championship at the 2021 American Moot Court Association (AMCA) National Tournament, a first in program history.

In November, Liberty sent eight teams from the program, which is connected with the Helms School of Government, to compete virtually in various regional tournaments. These competitions brought in 500 teams from collegiate institutions across the country all striving for a spot at nationals. The top 100 teams, which included five from Liberty, qualified for the national tournament.

On the first day of the national competition, held over Jan. 22-24, the event hosted three preliminary rounds, eliminating 43 teams.

Four teams from Liberty moved on to Saturday’s single elimination rounds. Students Randal Shirey and David Korn were unstoppable, winning five straight rounds to secure the national title on Sunday evening.

“At Liberty University we focus on excellence in practice as well as excellence in the classroom,” Robert Hurt, the dean of the Helms School of Government, said. “This first-time national championship win for our Moot Court team is a great example of how Liberty strives to prepare our students to go out into the world to be Salt and Light.”  

Dean Hurt continued, “We congratulate David and Randy and the entire Moot Court team for an excellent showing, and we are grateful to Dr. Ben Rathsam and Dr. Tony Robertson for the extraordinary leadership.” 

Associate professor of government Rathsam, who took over coaching Liberty’s team last year, discussed what this means for the program.

“It is a wonderful testament to the student’s hard work,” Rathsam said. “It shows that if you put in the work, good things can come. I think it is also a testament to future students and competitors that winning a National Championship is possible.”

Many aspects of this season look different for Liberty’s team as a result of COVID-19. In years past, the University sent students all across the country to compete in competitions hosted by various colleges and universities. This year, however, all of the competitions functioned virtually. 

While COVID-19 introduced many challenges, Rathsam was optimistic about its effect on their season. 

Rathsam added that because the competitions were virtual, the judges were not just from the area of the competition but instead, from all over the country. 

The goal is always to put the students in the best possible position to succeed,” Rathsam said. “I hope to continue to learn how to do that.”

Allen Moro is a News Reporter.

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