By Jonathan Saxton ’20 |
“Measure twice, cut once” is an old adage of the carpentry profession. It’s also a phrase that underpins the best part about Moot Court: the culmination of an advocate’s preparation and efforts toward their client’s victory in court. Everything from the opening lines of the appellate brief, to the style and sequence of its arguments, and including the prodigious moment where a panel of judges clamor to hammer the advocate with questions is what we live for as ‘Mooters.’
CUNY Law’s Moot Court team is a student-run organization; most of us wrote briefs during our 1L summers and competed in oral arguments before joining the team. Saturday, September 14, was our 24th annual competition where a new class of CUNY Law students exercised their oral and written advocacy skills (with great success!).
Professor Jeff Kirchmeier and Professor Beena Ahmad serve as our academic advisors and are integral to our team. They facilitate everything from the Annual Summer Competition to the practice rounds for Moot Court teams competing against other law schools. They make their work look easy, but they’re able to help us manage all of the organization’s moving parts because they care so immensely.
In order for the Summer Competition to come about, and as the Summer Competition Chairperson myself, I worked meticulously with my beloved teammates and professors, as well as CUNY Law’s fantastic staff, to ensure that we had food, drinks, and places to sit and stand on the big day. Significant work and organization went into planning the event, so if you’re reading this as the future Moot Court chairperson, be ready to handle a flurry of emails and responsibilities (all being worth it in the end).
Another notable aspect of our Moot Court team is its track record of having a substantial number of Evening Program students as members. In fact, this year’s competition had four finalists who are all part of the Evening Program. If you are ever in need of inspiration as an advocate, then look no further than Thanh Hoang, Nicholas Circharo, Kai Nalipinski, and Michael Stone. They are four individuals who hold down full-time jobs before going to class, care for their families, and still somehow find time to put in the work that brings them their well-deserved accolades! Our team is especially proud of their achievements and the example they set for us.
It’s truly a blessing to be a part of this organization, and there’s invaluable experience to be gained for any future attorney interested in appellate practice. You can always stop Rachel Robinson, the President of CUNY Law’s Moot Court team, or myself, to learn more about Moot Court and how to get involved. We’ve reaped amazing experiences and benefits through Moot Court, and we want to ensure others in our community have the opportunity to experience Moot Court as well.