Paul, Weiss Frederick Douglass Moot Court Team Excels at National Competition

New York, March 24, 2014—Columbia Law School Paul, Weiss Frederick Douglass Moot Court team member Emily Harris ’16 took home the title of Best Oral Advocate at the national round of the 2013-2014 Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition, which took place between March 12 and 16 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

 

Harris and teammate Nathaniel Sokol ’16 finished second overall in a fierce competition among 18 law schools fielding 2L and 3L competitors. Columbia Law School’s team is made up entirely of 1Ls. The team’s success follows a strong showing at the Northeast Regional stage in January.

 

Created and administered by the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA), the annual Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition focuses primarily on public and constitutional law, as well as topics of particular relevance to law students of color. Columbia Law School’s participation is made possible by the generous support of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.  

 

The Columbia Law School team is coached by John Goodwin ’15 and Madiba Dennie ’15. Ryan Chabot ’15, Kate Ferguson ’15, and Whitney Hayes ’15 are the team’s brief editors. Lecturer Tope Yusuf taught the Frederick Douglass Legal Practice Workshop, and Professor Philip Genty leads the legal research and writing program in his capacity as the advisor to Columbia’s Moot Court Program.