Liberty Law alumnus earns Academic All-American Appellate Advocate award
July 13, 2026 : By Abigail Degnan - Office of Communications & Public Engagement
Liberty University School of Law 2026 graduate Nikolay Michalowskij was recently named an Academic All-American Appellate Advocate by the National Association of Legal Advocacy Educators.
For the award, the NALAE National Selection Committee evaluates a student’s achievements across three categories: tournament success in the Trial Advocacy, Appellate Advocacy, or Dispute Resolution discipline; grade point average (minimum of 3.2 required); and leadership and fellowship contributions in law school and the community. According to the NALAE, Michalowskij excelled in all three categories.
“NALAE asks for nominations of students who have excelled in their advocacy fields, have excelled academically, and have also been an integral part of their law school communities. Nikolay was all of those things and more,” said Liberty Law Professor Scott Thompson. “I was honored to nominate him and delighted that he was given the recognition that he deserved.”
Michalowskij was an active participant at Liberty Law as a member of the Moot Court Board, a senior staff editor for the Liberty University Law Review, and president of the Federalist Society. He and fellow graduate Alexandra Walsh placed second at the 2025 Hicks Thomas Moot Court National Championship in Houston. They also won Best Brief in 2026 at the ABA Regional Tournament in Philadelphia.
Michalowskij said he was “shocked” to receive the law advocate award, and he credits the Moot Court Board and his tournament partner, Walsh, with helping him excel.
“This (award) feels like a capstone for my entire time on the Moot Court Board, and as such, it is really significant to me. If nothing else, that alone makes it worthwhile, but I hope that future employers will see it as an indication of dedication and skill.”
Michalowskij said Liberty Law’s Lawyering Skills Program was instrumental to his success.
“The Lawyering Skills program at Liberty Law really sets it apart from other schools. It is a hands-on and comprehensive program for practical legal skills across dozens of types of assignments that lawyers will do in their careers,” he said, noting that many of his classmates and professors helped him study, practice for tournaments, and more. “The degree of Christian love and dedication and self-sacrifice is something I will be grateful for well beyond my time here.”
“Liberty gave me a chance and saw something in me worth nourishing,” he added. “I do not think chances like that are common outside of a place that puts God at the center of everything that is done.”
After taking the bar exam this month, Michalowskij will serve as a law clerk for the Hon. William Stickman, a United States District Judge in the Western District of Pennsylvania, based in Pittsburgh.
