Campus News

Law teams finish strong in competitions

Members of UGA’s School of Law’s advocacy teams captured a championship title and two second-place finishes in recent competitions.

“This year’s advocacy teams have represented the law school extremely well,” says Kellie R. Casey, director of advocacy. “They raise the bar with every competition, and we are so proud of all they have accomplished thus far this year.”

A UGA team defeated Stetson University to win the regional title at the 2004 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition held Feb. 26-28 at Emory University. In addition, they were recognized as having the competition’s second best brief.

The winning team was composed of second-year students Sonali Garg, Amy B. Godfrey, Kimberly D. Grant and John C. Marler. Individual oralist honors were presented to Godfrey (first) and Marler (third). Third-year student Dawn S. Caesar served as the team’s coach, and third-year student J. Brian Edwards was the team’s editor.

This team will advance later this month to the national and international competitions in Washington, D.C.

Other moot court team members also had a strong showing at the Vanderbilt First Amendment Moot Court Competition Feb. 25-27 in Nashville. Third-year students Susannah D. Rogers and Beth L. Cavagnolo placed second out of 32 national teams, losing to Western New England Law in the final round of competition.

Mock trial team members added to their moot court counterparts’ success. UGA finished second out of 16 teams in the Association of Trial Lawyers of America Regional Student Trial Advocacy Competition Feb. 20-22 in Jacksonville, Fla.

The team, third-year students Mary Catherine Begnaud and Andrew H. Speaker and second-year students Will R. Claiborne and Charmel L. Gaulden, lost by only one point to Stetson.