Friday, May 1, 2009
Mon, 02 May 2005
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| Finalist Matthew Bryan delivers his argument to a panel of judges | |
Liberty University School of Law’s inaugural class brought its second semester to a close with a strong finish on Saturday, April 23 with the final round of the law school’s first Moot Court Tournament. Liberty’s “Final Four,” Brad Miller, Matthew Bryan, Jeff Johnson, and Heidi Thompson presented their arguments before a distinguished panel of Virginia jurists. The five-member, final-round panel of judges included three Circuit Court judges (one retired), a Virginia Court of Appeals judge, and a United States District Court judge. All of the judges commented on the quality of Liberty University School of Law’s “1Ls” (first-year law students), comparing them favorably to third-year law students they had judged at other Virginia law school competitions or to attorneys they see in court every day.
The Saturday finals marked the end of a rigorous, week-long tournament. Thirty-
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| Dean Bruce W. Green, right, congratulates Champion Brad Miller |
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seven practicing attorneys and judges visited the School of Law throughout the week to assist in judging. The guest jurists commended the law school on the quality of the students at all stages of the tournament. Each of the 56 first-year students participated in two rounds of arguments on Tuesday and Thursday, with the top 16 oralists advancing to the semi-final rounds on Friday. In the course of the competition each student argued both sides of the same appellate case involving the sovereign immunity of municipal governments and contributory negligence on the part of a pedestrian who was injured crossing a city street. The top speaker in each of Friday’s semi-final (“Sweet-Sixteen”) rounds advanced to Saturday’s finals. Brad Miller, a Liberty University graduate from Rockland, California, came out on top in an extremely competitive final round and was named the 2005 Liberty University School of Law 1L Moot Court Tournament Champion.