There is a sign that hangs in the MSU-Detroit College of Law Moot Court Board office that reads “Moot Court is not Life.”
But, “the sign is a lie,” according to fourth-year law student Tom Wisehart.
Wisehart is the captain of the moot court team that recently participated in the Pepperdine National Entertainment Law Moot Court Trials in Malibu, Calif. He said all team members dedicate hours to practicing before the competitions - not leaving time for much else in their lives.
The teams made up of MSU-DCL students participate in mock trial competitions that play out like a real court case would.
Each team is comprised of four members who alternate between acting as the members of a prosecution or defense team.
The board also sent teams to the Georgetown Law Center Trial Advocacy Competition in Washington, D.C., and the Regional Moot Court Competition at the Salmon P. Chase College of Law on the campus of Northern Kentucky University. The regional competition was sponsored by the New York Bar Association.
Third-year law student Laura Silvestri was honored for the best individual oralist performance of all the participants on the 18 teams that competed in the regional competition.
“I was definitely surprised,” Silvestri said. “You don’t go in expecting to win something like that.”
While the award is for her individual performance, she still credits much of her success to the other members of her team.
“It is an honor I didn’t earn completely by myself,” she said. “We go in hoping we will win an award. No one says ‘I hope I will win something.’”
Wisehart and his team were also winners, earning a third place finish for their performance in the Pepperdine competition. While his name appears on the brief as the author, he also credits the success to the entire team.
“It is my typing,” he said. “But every one of us worked together to get the final product.”
Wisehart said there have been many times when the team could be found in the Moot Court office until 4 a.m. doing research, while putting the finishing touches on their work.
Matt McKone, the executive director of the Moot Court Board and fourth-year law student, said his team in the Georgetown trials also did well, tying for third place with four other teams.
Overall, McKone said he is very impressed and pleased with the success of all the teams this semester despite the loss of many graduates.
“Everyone came together to carry on the winning tradition,” McKone said.
And he is even more excited about the future.
“I am very optimistic about next semester,” he said. “We are consistently in the running with the best teams in the country which could create great possibility of better and better finishes.”
