Helms School of Government to enter five Moot Court teams into next week’s National Tournament

Liberty University junior Law and Policy student Erin Cooper wanted to reach Moot Court Nationals at least once before graduating.

Next week, she will have her shot.

“Going to Nationals means a lot,” she said. “It’s proof of the hard work that we put in and the strength that, even throughout COVID-19, we were still able to do this.”

During November, teams from Liberty’s Helms School of Government participated in four regional tournaments held virtually: the Liberty University Regional Tournament, the Regent University Regional Tournament, the Tommies Regional Tournament, and the Fitchburg Regional Tournament. Because of their placement in these regional events, five of Liberty’s eight teams will be among the 100 teams competing virtually for the Moot Court National Title on Jan. 22-24.

“To perform so well in regionals was truly a blessing,” said Assistant Professor of Government and Moot Court Coach Dr. Benjamin Rathsam. “We qualified at least one team at every regional we attended. This success meant we had a lot of good talent across the board. … The students worked really hard, and I couldn’t be prouder of how they prepared throughout the semester.”

Liberty could be competing against Moot Court powerhouses Patrick Henry, the University of Chicago, and Yale University, with each school sending multiple teams.

Slated to be hosted at Louisiana State University, COVID-19 restrictions pushed the national event to a remote format. All 100 teams will compete on Friday, Jan. 22, for a spot in day two. Beginning Saturday, in a single-elimination format, the advancing 50 teams will battle for a spot in the quarterfinals. By Sunday, with only eight teams remaining, a champion will be crowned.

“I’m going to be happy and proud of our students whether we win zero ballots or we win every ballot,” Rathsam said. “Moot Court is a funny sport. You never know what’s going to sit well with a judge. … It’s unpredictable. The best team doesn’t always win. I think all of our teams definitely have the ability to make the break to Saturday, but after that, we go from there and pray for the best results.”

Cooper will compete alongside teammate Julia Robertson. Liberty’s other four teams are: Collyn Kim and Colton Hughes; Dalton Davis and Lauren Saegar; Randall Shirey and David Korn; and Corey Jones and John Sharp.

Korn and Jones, both seniors, won third place for best oralist in their respective regional events. Davis also was named third best oralist in his competition.

“Since this is my last time competing in Moot Court, I really just want to give my best effort,” said Jones, who, along with his partner last year, placed third at Nationals, which is the best-ever showing by a Liberty team. “I can’t remember a year when we’ve sent a team from every single regional tournament to nationals. This is a great feat for our program, and it just shows that regardless of what competition we’re facing, or what judges we have, it’s really cool to see our program have this much success in these competitions.”

“Going to Nationals is very exciting, especially given that we were able to adapt to the changes in moving to a virtual format,” Korn added. “It’s really encouraging that everyone was able to do so well, and it’s a good indicator that the program will stay strong for future events.”

Since regionals, teams have practiced three times a week, on average, as well as reviewed questions and arguments on their own personal time.

Members of Liberty’s team said their coaches, Rathsam and Online Dean for Liberty Law Dr. Tony Robertson, deserve much of the credit for the teams’ successes.

“Dr. Rathsam and Dr. Robertson have given a lot of time developing us, gone to hundreds of practices over the past couple years, and it really does mean a lot,” Jones said. “Our program is what it is because of people like them. We really owe it all to them, as well as the Helms School of Government, for financially supporting us.”

“Beyond knowing what’s on the record, our coaches have helped us understand the law in whole to give the best argument we can,” Cooper added. “They’re awesome, and they put so much of their personal time into helping us, and it means a lot. We wouldn’t be as far without them.”