A team of Vermont Law School students was named Region 1 National Moot Court Competition champion following rounds at Boston College Law School last weekend. In January, VLS students Thomas Flynn JD/MELP’18, Miranda Jensen JD’18 and Amanda Quinlan JD’18 will advance to compete at the National Moot Court Competition in New York City.

This month, more than 120 law school teams across the United States refined their appellate advocacy skills by competing in regional rounds of the National Moot Court Competition, in its 68th year. The VLS team went undefeated in the preliminary rounds, earned a perfect score from one judge in the semi-final round against rival Syracuse University College of Law, and took the final round against Suffolk University Law School, arguing before the Hon. Timothy Hillman of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts and prominent Boston attorneys Joan Lukey and Martin Murphy. In addition to the team win, Quinlan picked up the prize for Best Oral Advocate.

“I have loved working with Tom, Miranda and Amanda over these last few months,” said Vice Dean for Students Beth McCormack, who coached the team. “They have an incredible work ethic, were supportive of one another throughout, constantly sought to improve their advocacy and writing, and were grateful to the school for giving them this opportunity. At the competition, they were gracious in victory, and impressed me as much with their professional presence and sportsmanship as they did with their oral arguments. Congratulations to our students and to their worthy opponents.”

McCormack attributes the team’s success, in part, to the VLS Legal Writing Program, led by Professor Greg Johnson, and the committed faculty members who helped the team practice, including Advanced Appellate Advocacy Professor Elizabeth Tisher.

“VLS is going to the nationals for the second year in a row and has made it to at least the semi-finals for the last three years in a row,” said McCormack. “We are thankful for our Legal Writing Program, which has put Vermont Law School on the moot court map.”

The historic National Moot Court Competition is co-sponsored by the New York City Bar Association and the American College of Trial Lawyers. For more information, visit nycbar.org/member-and-career-services/law-students/national-moot-court. For more information about the Legal Writing Program at Vermont Law School, visit vermontlaw.edu/academics/centers-and-programs/legal-writing-program.

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Vermont Law School, a private, independent institution, is home to the nation’s largest and deepest environmental law program. VLS offers a Juris Doctor curriculum that emphasizes public service; three Master’s Degrees—Master of Environmental Law and Policy, Master of Energy Regulation and Law, and Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy; and four post-JD degrees —LLM in American Legal Studies (for foreign-trained lawyers), LLM in Energy Law, LLM in Environmental Law, and LLM in Food and Agriculture Law. The school features innovative experiential programs and is home to the Environmental Law Center, South Royalton Legal Clinic, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, Energy Clinic, Food and Agriculture Clinic, and Center for Applied Human Rights. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.