News

Two teams of Minnesota Law students performed exceptionally well at the ABA’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC), held in Los Angeles, California, from February 20 to 23, 2025. Both teams advanced past the preliminary rounds for the first time in over a decade, with one team reaching the final round and the other advancing to the national competition. This marks the first time Minnesota Law sent a team to the national rounds of the ABA's NAAC in nearly twenty years.

Last November, the National Moot Court team excelled at the regional competition in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The team representing the Petitioner advanced to the national rounds held in New York City this past January, reaching the quarterfinals of the national round.

For the second consecutive year, three Minnesota Law students excelled at the Jeffrey Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition at Pace University’s Elisabeth Haub School of Law. The competition was held in White Plains, NY, from February 20 to 22, 2025. This year’s team included Elise Ashby ’25, Morgan Christen ’25, and Kasey Sullivan ’25. The team reached the quarterfinal rounds, a tremendous accomplishment given that 54 teams competed.

In late January, Minnesota Law participated in the Hicks Thomas, LLP Moot Court National Championship held at the University of Houston Law Center. The team advanced to the quarterfinals, finishing in the Top 8, and also earned the award for the 3rd best brief. The Honorable James Graves Jr. of the 5th Circuit presented the team with the award for the 3rd best brief.

Earlier this spring, it was announced that for the first time in Law School history, Minnesota Law has been invited to participate in the Hunton Andrews Kurth Moot Court National Championship in early 2025. The Hunton Andrews Kurth Moot Court National Championship is unique among moot court competitions. An invitation-only event held at the University of Houston Law Center, the competition invites the top 16 law schools to participate based on cumulative results from the most recent moot court competition season.

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.

Three 2024 Minnesota Law graduates capped their law school experience with a first-place finish in a prestigious national moot-court competition.

Maria Pfister ’24, Poojan Thakrar ’24, and Hanna Weil ’24 were members of the Minnesota Law team that took away top honors at the Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition at Pace University in New York. The team competed against 53 other teams in the largest event of its type in the U.S.

Back in November, we reported that two teams of Minnesota Law students performed extraordinarily well in the regional competition of the National Moot Court Competition held in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Both teams advanced to the semifinal rounds and the team representing Petitioner/Respondent advanced to the national rounds of the competition, which was held in New York City in January 2024. The team that advanced to New York had an outstanding showing, reaching the quarterfinals of the national round.