St. Mary’s School of Law team wins Federal Bar Association National Championship

StMarys_LAW_logoThe St. Mary’s University School of Law Moot Court Team traveled to Washington, D.C., in late March and came home with its fourth national championship in the past 12 years.

The External Advocacy Program (EAP) Moot Court Team of second-year law students Hannah Cottrill and Stephen Bachran defeated 45 teams at the 17th annual Federal Bar Association Thurgood A. Marshall Memorial Moot Court Tournament. It was the duo’s first national title and the EAP moot court team’s second in three years at this event.

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Second-year law students Hannah Cottrill (center) and Stephen Bachran (right) receive the championship trophies.

Cottrill was named Best Final Round Oralist, and Bachran was named the Second Place Oralist. They were matched up against teams from law schools such as Baylor, Georgetown and the University of Florida in the largest field ever assembled for this event.

The prestigious competition addresses emerging issues of federal statutory and constitutional law. Judges included distinguished members of the federal bench and bar who were in Washington for the Federal Bar Association’s mid-year meeting.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to work with such gifted advocates, and I am extremely proud of the hard work and dedication of these fine students,” said St. Mary’s adjunct law professor Ricky Poole (J.D. ’90), who coaches the law school’s moot court teams. “They deserve both praise and gratitude for their outstanding achievement.”

The St. Mary’s EAP Moot Court Team now has won two championships at the FBA Thurgood A. Marshall Moot Court Competition, in addition to the Emory University Civil Rights and Liberties National Moot Court Competition and the American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Competition.

St. Mary’s University repeatedly has been nationally recognized for its commitment to service and community engagement. The Carnegie Foundation has given St. Mary’s its prestigious Community Engagement Classification, and St. Mary’s has received the Presidential Award from the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition for service in higher education. St. Mary’s University is a Catholic and Marianist university with a tradition of academic excellence.