Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Tue, 14 Apr 2015
Dave Thompson
“Liberty can compete with any moot court program in the country.”
Professor Scott Thompson had nothing but praise for the team he coached to the semifinals of the American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Competition.
As Director of the Center for Lawyering Skills at Liberty University School of Law, Thompson coordinates the moot court program, which has seen success at an unprecedented level this year.
Over the weekend, the team of Zach Hurt, Justin Reddington and Reed Marbury competed in the national competition in Chicago, finishing better than any Liberty team in the five years that Liberty has advanced to nationals.
Previously, Liberty teams had made the sweet sixteen three times at the tournament.
“To accomplish that in less than 10 years of competition is truly amazing, and speaks to the hard work that all of our teams put in as well as to the blessings that God has bestowed on us,” Thompson said.
In the preliminary rounds, Liberty defeated a team from Vanderbilt, but lost narrowly to Seton Hall. As the 14th seeded team in the round of 16, they proceeded to take down the fourth-seeded South Texas College of Law, going on to defeat the fifth-ranked University of Oklahoma in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals the streak ended, as Liberty lost a split-decision contest to Michigan State, the eventual winner of the tournament.
The championship team called that semifinal round the toughest they faced in the tournament, Thompson said.
In addition to the semifinal finish, Liberty picked up two oralist awards as Justin Reddington was named the second-best oralist in the tournament, and the seventh-best during the preliminary rounds.
Interim Dean Rena Lindevaldsen added praise for the team, drawing from her own experience with the program.
“As a moot court coach who has watched the program grow and strengthen over the years, I am thrilled at how God has richly blessed us with such success,” Lindevaldsen said.
“A successful competitor must write well, be an excellent communicator, and grasp the complicated material presented. The moot court successes are indicative of the strength of our educational program.”
After finishing the tournament, Liberty sits at number 11 in the University of Houston’s national moot court rankings.
The top 16 teams in the country annually are invited to compete in the Andrews Kurth National Moot Court Championship in January. The current rankings are not set in stone, as results from other tournaments have yet to be updated.