Minnesota Law’s New Gender and Sexuality Moot Court Competition Team Wins Top Honors

2Ls Leah Kanihan ’25 and Madeleine Kim ’25 joined Minnesota Law’s Gender and Sexuality Moot Court team, fueled by a passion for advocating for people affected by this deeply personal area of law. So, Kim was disappointed when she learned that their team would represent the petitioners, requiring the pair to make the case for something they do not support.

 But that challenge didn’t prevent the duo from shining, along with teammates David Lindgren ’25 and Kaz Lane ’25. Kim and Kanihan’s arguments prevailed, and they won the national Michigan State University Gender and Sexuality Moot Court Competition in March. In addition, they captured second place for best brief and Kanihan won third place for best oral advocate. 

“We really did have to know our issues because it wasn’t an argument we believed in,” Kim says. “We had to rely on the strength of the case law—we couldn’t rely on passion or sympathy. We knew we had an uphill battle because most attorneys who volunteer do it because they feel strongly about these issues.”

Read more about this exciting win in the digital edition of Minnesota Law magazine