EMU Today

YPSILANTI – The national champion Eastern Michigan University moot court program has started right where it left off last winter, experiencing a highly successful regional season this fall and headed to the national championships next month.

EMU held its first ever virtual regional competition last month, with 30 teams from across the nation. More than 50 of EMU's moot court program alumni from around the country judged the competition, held on Nov. 6-7.

EMU participated in three regionals, fielding nine teams of two students. Six of those teams, two at each regional, made it through the preliminary rounds and into the knockout rounds on the second day, and two of the six teams earned bids to the American Moot Court National Finals in January. 

Among students earning bids are two students new to the program, Katlyn Collins and Meagan Putnam. Avery Wright, who attended last year's Nationals, and Charles Graham III, the defending national champion as well as the third-ranked individual oralist in the nation for 2020, also advanced after a strong showing.

Collins and Putnam finished fourth at the Cleveland-Marshall Regional and Wright and Graham became the Champions of the Great Lakes Regional with an impressive 12-2 record in a very strong field.

EMU duo to be seeded among country’s best

“After that outstanding showing, Charles and Avery will be seeded well within the top ten in the country at this year's National Finals,” said EMU political science professor Barry Pyle, a co-coach of the team. “We look forward to defending our national championship title from last year.”

Multiple individual EMU students also earned high marks as individual oralists. Those students were:

• Charles Graham, Great Lakes Regional, first out of 96 competitors.

• Meagan Putnam, Cleveland-Marshall Regional, third out of 52.

• Avery Wright, Great Lakes Regional, 11th of 96.

• Gregory Dunne, EMU Regional, 10th out of 60.

• Lillian Pellerito, Great Lakes Regional, 18th out of 96.

• Cole Nelson, EMU Regional, 15th out of 60.

• Allison Shearer, EMU Regional, 16th out of 60.

• Scarlet Bringard, Great Lakes Regional, 25th out of 96.  

The results build upon the success of last winter, when Eastern took home the overall national championship in the American Moot Court national tournament finals, held Jan. 17-18 at the Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, La.

Kelsey Hall, a senior, and Graham, then a junior, won overwhelmingly, sweeping all five first place votes from the five judges.

The national competition annually begins with close to 500 universities and colleges – ranging from large institutions to small liberal arts colleges in the U.S. and Canada – seeking to advance.

Extensive attention and training at Eastern

 “That was no small feat,” Pyle said. “We are one of a very few public universities to ever win this title.”

Graham, an Ann Arbor native with plans to attend law school, says that “The level of attention I would’ve received if I had decided to attend a different university pales in comparison to the attention that professors such as Dr. Pyle have given me.” 

Pyle serves as co-coach along with C. Robert Dombroski, a former student of his and a local attorney. Together, they’ve experienced great success over the last seven years in leading EMU’s teams in mock trail and moot court competitions. David Klein, a professor of political science and department head, also serves as an assistant coach. 

Moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Students prepare arguments and make oral arguments as they compete while a group of judges act as active participants, questioning and arguing with the students. The biggest challenge for students is to answer the judges effectively.

Through engaging in simulations in competition with teams from other institutions, students develop critical thinking and public speaking skills, as well as a knowledge of legal practices and procedures.

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 16,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and, its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.