Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS) celebrated a series of successes during the fall 2024 semester, showcasing the skill and dedication of our students in the competitive world of moot court, a form of simulated appellate advocacy. In moot court competitions, students argue hypothetical cases with fictitious clients using real sources of law.
“Moot court helps students develop the skill of speaking with clarity and precision about the law in a persuasive setting,” said Professor Catherine Fregosi JD’16, faculty advisor of the Moot Court Advisory Board. “They attempt to convince a court to agree with their position and their client’s position.”
Professor Fregosi teaches Advanced Appellate Advocacy, an invitational class and the school’s intramural moot court competition (also known on campus as the Debevoise Competition). Students are selected to represent the school in external competitions based on their performance in this setting.
“It’s a valuable opportunity for students to perfect public speaking skills, how they present information, and to refine the way they use rhetorical techniques to persuade their listener to a particular point. Those are skills that carry over into all areas of practice,” she said.
Participating in moot court also allows students to test themselves against individuals from other schools, providing context for their legal education and a chance to see how others approach the same facts and law.
An Award-Winning Performance at Emory
In October, a team of three law students—Faith Orr JD’25, Maggie Chafouleas JD’25, and Emily Starobin JD’25—traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, to compete in Emory Law School’s Civil Rights and Liberties Moot Court Competition. Their performance in the preliminary oral argument rounds allowed them to advance to the first elimination stage. In brief writing, the team placed third—the highest finish for VLGS in the history of the competition. Orr, Chafouleas, and Starobin also earned a Top 10 award for their brief, an honor reserved for the competition’s most outstanding briefs.
“Participating in Emory’s Moot Court Competition was one of the highlights of my law school experience,” said Starobin. “Working with such dedicated, intelligent women like Maggie and Faith to create something of which we were proud was tremendously rewarding. The hours of preparation of mooting with several generous professors and students required grit, endurance, and a passion for near perfection. And it showed.”
Noteworthy Success at National Moot Court Regional Competition
In November, VLGS had the privilege of hosting a regional round of the annual National Moot Court Competition. Teams from top law schools in the northeast visited South Royalton for two days of competition on campus. Many members of our community volunteered their time to help facilitate the competition as judges for the argument rounds. This outpouring of support included VLGS alumni, attorneys from a variety of different practice areas, trial court judges, First and Second Circuit judges, and Vermont Supreme Court justices.
The VLGS team—Allyson Cohen JD’25, Nicholas Glover JD’25, and Elizabeth Hein JD’25—defeated Yale University in the first round of arguments by several points. They continued their push with strong arguments and a sharp rebuttal in the second round, where they were narrowly defeated by a fraction of a point.
“It was an honor to represent Vermont Law and Graduate School in the National Moot Court Competition,” said Cohen. “The experience was invaluable. Our group was given the opportunity to hone legal research, writing, and oral advocacy skills that will benefit us throughout our professional careers.”
“Representing VLGS as part of our National Moot Court Competition team has been—and surely will be—the greatest honor of my law school experience,” Glover added. “Beating a team like Yale is something no one can take away from us. Such a result is a testament to the quality of professors that VLGS retains. Our professors, whether through past legal writing courses or one of our many rigorous moots, prepared us to succeed.”
The VLGS community is immensely proud of the hard work, preparation, and talent shown by our mooting students. We congratulate them on an excellent fall season!