Minnesota Law Wins the Thurgood Marshall Memorial Moot Court Competition for First Time in Law School History

Two teams of Minnesota Law students performed exceptionally well at the 2021-22 Thurgood Marshall Memorial Moot Court Competition. Both teams advanced to the quarterfinal rounds and one team won the national competition for the first time in University of Minnesota Law School history (view the video of the final round). The competition is organized by the Federal Bar Association. It is a national competition of 40 teams from law schools from around the country. 

The team advancing to the quarterfinals was composed of Kylee Evans, 2L and Joe Hamaker, 3L. Evans had a strong showing in the Clary Cup oral argument tournament as a 1L. Hamaker competed on the team for the second consecutive year, advanced to the quarterfinals for the second year, and also served as both a Managing and Student Director for Civil Rights Civil Liberties Moot Court. 

The team that prevailed in the final round was composed of Hannah McDonald, 2L, and Hannah Fereshtehkhou, 3L. McDonald won best oralist for the final round and was the runner-up in last year’s Clary Cup. Fereshtehkhou won the best oralist in last year’s Civil Rights Civil Liberties oral argument tournament and served as a student director this year. 

The team was coached by two Minnesota alums. Sara Gurwitch, ‘95, competed on the team as a student. Connor Shaull, ‘20, was a member of the National Moot Court Competition Team. Reflecting on this year’s team and outstanding results, the coaches said, “We are extremely proud of the students and thrilled that their hard work was rewarded. From brief writing to oral advocacy, all of our members dove into the problem and displayed exemplary dedication. Their skills and attitudes made this past year one to remember.”