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Moot Court Competition Gives Valuable Experience to MC Law Students


Mississippi College Law students Brantley Walton of Madison and Stevie Farrar of Waynesboro flank MC Law Dean Wendy Scott at the September Moot Court competition in Jackson.

Stevie Farrar calmly fielded a barrage of questions from a judge in U.S. District Court.

A Mississippi College law student, Farrar stayed focused on presenting her case involving a divorced couple and alleged violations of a federal wiretapping statute.

As Farrar responded to U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves and jurors looked on, the courtroom scene in downtown Jackson seemed all too real. Welcome to the 23rd annual Copeland, Cook, Taylor & Bush Moot Court Competition.

While an audience packed the courtroom for the final round of the proceedings, the 90-minute exercise sharpened the professional skills of future lawyers.

“This is a great learning experience,” Reeves said as the MC Law Moot Court program began. Moments later, the federal judge quickly pivoted to the fictional legal issues before him on September 17.

Afterwards, Farrar summed up the merits of her Moot Court appearance as a key component of her Mississippi College Law School education.

“Arguing in a courtroom before a federal judge is something many lawyers will never experience,” says Farrar, a Waynesboro native. “But this competition allowed me to do just that while I’m in law school,” adds the University of Mississippi graduate. “I’m incredibly grateful to have this opportunity.”

A member of the MC Law Review, Stevie faced classmate Brantley Walton of Madison, who argued for the opposing side Thursday. A Mississippi College graduate, Walton serves as president of the Advocacy Society at MC Law School.

MC Law Dean Wendy Scott joined audience members watching with interest as the case played out before Judge Reeves.

Starting her second year at MC Law dean, Scott is a firm believer in Moot Court.

The competitions, she said, provide students with the opportunity to enhance their writing and oral advocacy skills, she said. “Students compete with their classmates and receive feedback from real judges and lawyers.”

Also watching the proceedings, former MC Law dean Jim Rosenblatt was impressed with the caliber of the participants.

Taking part in Moot Court, the MC Law professor said, helps students “grow in competence and confidence.”

Moot Court also opens the door, Rosenblatt added, for MC Law students to network with judges and lawyers.

MC Law students have shined in national and regional Moot Court competitions around the nation in recent years. Students at sixteen law schools across the USA will be invited to Moot Court national championships in Houston in January 2016.