Moot Court Board of Advocates
The Moot Court Board of Advocates is a student organization that provides hands-on lawyering experience and further refines members’ communication and advocacy skills by exposing them to simulated appellate court experiences. Moot Court is led by an executive board and faculty advisors. Membership is competitive and students selected for the program complete an advocacy course and compete at internal and national competitions.
Leadership 2024-2025
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Contact Moot Court
Executive Board
- Chris Huetteman: Executive Director of Internal Competitions
- Steven Meerschaert: Executive Director of External Competitions
- Craig Luca: Executive Director of Education, Advocacy and Outreach
- Harley Ennis: Internal Competition
- Jasmine Truley: Internal Competitions
- Laurynn Green: External Competitions
- Marianna Seal: External Competitions
- Payton Armstrong: Education, Advocacy & Outreach
- Mackenzie Beckett: Education, Advocacy & Outreach
- Julie St. John: Faculty Advisor
- Elizabeth Sherowski: Faculty Advisor
Phone Number: 313-596-0221
Room Number: 337Instagram: @udm_mootcourt
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Junior and Senior Members
2024-2025 Moot Court Junior and Senior Members Junior Members
Senior Members
Jamine Alkatib Samantha Aula Andrew Bell Alan Hester Hannah Bloomfield Heather Muir Lena Bobo Vinnie Fazio Zachary Brown Angela Paget Tori Conklin Analise Robinson Guido Costantino Cassie Weck Wun Kyle Darancou Cammey Yang Madison Drake Jacqueline Eifler Jazmine Goode Khole Hamama Bianca Ivezaj Jillian Jones Ashley Kasper Alexis Krichevsky Haley Marion Mecca Muhammed Angelina Palushaj Nachaat Salami Sabrina Soka Lillianna Trinity Yu An Tung Robbe Van Hoyweghen Gabriella Vizzaccaro Allura Williams Andre Williams Tyler Winowiecki Jessica Zelasko Sophia Zotos -
Advanced Advocacy Course
Advanced Advocacy is a two-credit course that is taught from the perspective that advocacy is more than an applied skill; in its purest form, advocacy is a form of art. This class takes students beyond the traditional moot court curriculum and thoroughly examines the art and various techniques of persuasion through innovative exercises and guest lectures. Although the class is required for all moot court members and external moot court competitors, the persuasion techniques taught in this class are so universal to the practice of law that all upper-class students are encouraged to enroll.
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Patrick A. Keenan Appellate Advocacy Competition
The Keenan Competition is an annual tournament administered by Detroit Mercy Law Moot Court Board of Advocates. The tournament is a two-person team competition in which both students write the brief and compete in oral argument rounds. The topic of the tournament is an issue taken from a case currently pending and/or up for writ of certiorari before the Unites States Supreme Court, or an issue that is generating attention among the federal circuits. The competition is open to upper-level students that have a minimum GPA of 2.5. Further, students can receive one (1) credit for completing the tournament.
Watch the 2020 Patrick A. Keenan Appellate Advocacy Competition.
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Joining Moot Court
Applications to join Moot Court are typically due in the Winter Term.
To be eligible for Moot Court, students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher. Students will need to submit a legal resume and writing sample to be considered. After the application is reviewed, the Executive Board will notify those that are selected to participate in oral argument. As part of the Moot Court tryout process, students must present an oral argument of their writing sample before the Board of Directors.
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Moot Court Successes
In past years, the Moot Court Board of Advocates enjoyed success in numerous competitions:
2018/2019- National Appellate Advocacy Competition Regional Rounds: Finalists; Third Place Brief Award; Top 10 Advocate in Preliminary Rounds.
- Gabrielli National Family Law Moot Court Competition: Octorounds.
- National Moot Court Competition Regional Rounds: Semifinalists, Best Brief Award, Best Oralist.
- Chicago Bar Association Moot Court Competition: Octorounds.
- National Child Welfare and Adoption Moot Court Competition: Semifinalists; Best Oralist in Preliminary Rounds; Third Place Oralist in Preliminary Rounds.
- Veterans Law National Moot Court Competition: Quarterfinalists, Second Place Brief Award.
- National Moot Court Competition Regional Rounds: Semifinalists.
- National Veterans Law Moot Court Competition: Competition Runners-Up.
- New York City Bar Association National Moot Court Competition: Semi-finalists, Oralist Award, 2nd Place Best Brief, 6th Place Best Brief.
- ABA Appellate Advocacy Competition: 4th Place Best Brief.
- NYU Immigration Law Competition: Quarterfinalists.
- Jessup Super Competition: Regional Semifinalist & 4th Place Best Brief.
- Gibbons Criminal Procedure Competition: Quarterfinalists.
- New York City Bar Competition: Regional Quarterfinalists.
- The Giles Sutherland Rich Moot Court Competition – Intellectual Property: Quarterfinalists.
- National Invitational Appellate Moot Court Competition: National Champions.
- Jessup Super Competition: Regional finalists, 2nd Place Best Brief, World Round Qualifiers (1st time in Detroit Mercy Law history).
- Chicago Bar Association Moot Court Competition: Champions.
- McGee Civil Rights National Moot Court Competition: National Champions and Runner-Up National Champions.
