Regent Law News

On Nov. 4-5, Regent Law's Moot Court Board had the pleasure of hosting the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament of the American Moot Court Association's annual undergraduate competition. Students in the Regent University Debate Association (RUDA) from the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) registered five teams, two of which earned third and fourth place in the regional competition. Three students, Alexandria Cross, Ronald Pantalena, and Christopher Mateer, received top-10 speaker awards. Competitors came to the annual tournament at Regent from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, the University of Virginia, George Washington University, James Madison University, Bridgewater College, Patrick Henry College, and Liberty University. Judges determined speaker awards based on knowledge of case facts, legal reasoning, and the manner in which contestants presented themselves while facing pressure from judges. Points were awarded in these categories and then aggregated. Daniel R...

Regent University hosted the Mid Atlantic American Moot Court Association (AMCA) tournament the weekend of November 4, 2016. Students in the Regent University Debate Association (RUDA) from the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) registered five teams, two of which earned third and fourth place in the regional competition. Three students, Alexandria Cross, Ronald Pantalena, and Christopher Mateer, received top-10 speaker awards. "I think the students did very well," said Dr. Nick Higgins, CAS assistant professor and RUDA sponsor. "We will have two teams that will be invited to go to the national tournament in Florida in January. Now we are just working with them to refine their arguments, looking at where the judges poked holes in them, and create a better way to go about and ensure we, Lord willing, have victory in Florida." Eleven RUDA students ...

Named after the late former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., the Moot Court Board hosted its 16th annual constitutional law competition on October 14-15, 2016. Directed by Samuel Walsh, the competition hosted 24 teams from across the nation—only one team short from becoming a tier two competition for the very first time. Not only is this an unprecedented amount, but it's also the furthest reaching with new and returning schools coming from as far as Florida, Texas, and California. Moreover, the final panel of judges was graced by the presence of 4 State Supreme Court Justices from Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Lucille Wall, this year's Chairwoman, said, "Regent Law's Moot Court Board was honored to host such a talented group of oral advocates at this year's Hassell National Moot Court Competition. Not only was the group of students participating diverse and well prepared, they were also excellent advocates who argued ...

At the close of the 2015-2016 Moot Court competition season, Regent University School of Law ranked fifth in the nation for Best Moot Court Program by the annual report of the University of Houston Law. Law schools that rank within the top 16 are invited to Houston in January 2017 to participate in the national championship. Regent ranked above schools such as the University of Virginia, Baylor University Law School, Colombia University Law School, and Duke University Law School to qualify for the competition. Here is a look back on Regent Law Moot Court's 2015-2016 season:

At the close of the 2015-2016 Moot Court competition season, Regent University School of Law ranked fifth in the nation for Best Moot Court Program by the annual report of the University of Houston Law. Law schools that rank within the top 16 are invited to Houston in January 2017 to participate in the national championship. Regent ranked above schools such as the University of Virginia, Baylor University Law School, Colombia University Law School, and Duke University Law School to qualify for the competition. This year’s ranking follows the eighth-place Regent teams earned during the 2014-2015 competition season. The data is pulled from more than 200 law schools in the United States accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). The rankings are listed annually, and according to Regent Law Dean Michael Hernandez this ranking ties the university’s highest-ever – having achieved the same ranking in 2008. “This ranking, yet again, confirms what our track-record of over 20 years reflec...

Every year the law school's Moot Court Board hosts an intramural competition for the first-year students. The competition is integral to the success of the Legal Research & Writing department as well as the Board. In requiring students to compete, talents both known and unknown are honed and even discovered. The Board is convinced that God has chosen to work through it as a medium so that His name is ultimately glorified. The Board greatly looks forward to cultivating the talents He has blessed Regent students with through the competition. This year's final four competitors were Christopher de Blank, Blaine Hutchison, Leah Oswald, and Alexxa Pritchett. There is no doubt that each advocate was meant to be in the final round based on the caliber of the arguments they made. In the end, Ms. Pritchett (pictured right)  received the highest score from the judges and became the second woman to win the competition in the past 14 years. Photos taken and edited by Michael Aiello

There are many marks of a great lawyer. Apart from oral arguments, legal writing is key. Regent University School of Law students proved their merit at the Price Media Moot Court Competition in Oxford, England, Wednesday March 30-April, 2. Price Media Moot Court Team. Photo courtesy of the Regent School of Law Facebook page. The team – Christy Hurst, Palmer Hurst and Sandra Alcaide, coached by LAW professor Jeffrey Brauch – took home the Second-Best Memorial in the World at the international competition. Additionally, two Regent teams traveled to the Billings, Exum & Frye Competition at Elon School of Law in Greensboro, North Carolina. The first team, including law students Brittany Jones, Daniel Rouleau, and Joshua Gamboa, earned Best Respondent Brief award and overall Best Brief in the competition of 40 teams. The second team consisting of law students, William Thetford, Lindsey Gilman, and Sam Walsh earned the Best Petitioner Brief award. “This performanc...

Competition: Billings, Exum & Frye National Moot Court Competition Elon University School of Law March 31-April 2, 2016 Teams: Regent Team 20:  Daniel Rouleau, Brittany Jones, and Joshua Gamboa Regent Team 26:  William Thetford, Lindsey Gilman, and Samuel Walsh. Coaches: Joshua Jenkins and James Wheeler Results: Daniel, Brittany, and Joshua won the award for best respondent brief, and overall best brief in the competition! Will, Lindsey, and Sam won the award for best Petitioner brief in the competition. There were 38 other briefs submitted at Elon. Both teams were eliminated after a hard fought quarterfinal round.

Competition: The Monroe E. Price Media Law Moot Court Competition 9th Annual International Rounds in Oxford March 30-April 2, 2016 Team: Team (pictured L to R): Palmer Hurst, Christy Hurst, Sandra Alcaide Coach:  Professor Jeffery Brauch Results: Congrats to our Price Media Moot Court team for winning 2nd best brief in the world! 

As law schools across the nation enter further into the moot court competition season, Regent University School of Law (LAW) students continue to perform well. The weekend of March 18-19 was no exception. J. Gibbons Moot Court Team. Photo courtesy of Regent's School of Law Official Facebook Page. “The excellent performances of our moot court and negotiations teams this past weekend continue our track record over the past two decades of outstanding skills training and student performances,” said Michael Hernandez, dean of the School of Law. “I am proud of our teams and their faculty coaches, who are outstanding representatives of Regent Law and our Center for Advocacy.” Regent’s team achieved the title of “quarterfinalists” at the J. Gibbons Moot Court Competition at Seton Hall Law in Newark, New Jersey. Kathleen Knudsen ’16, Renee Knudsen ’16, and Andrew Butler ’...

Featured here with the Associate Justice of the Charleston Moot Court Board Competition: March 18-19, 2016 South Carolina Team: Team: Glenn Reynolds ’16, Courtney Marasigan ’17, and Alexandra McPhee ’17  Coach: Assistant Professor Tessa Dysart  Results: Placed first at the Charleston School of Law National Moot Court Competition. Reynolds earned the title “best oralist” for the final round of the competition. Scored fourth Best Brief overall Won Best Oralist award of the final round

Renee Knudsen, Andrew Butler, Kathleen Knudsen March 18-19, 2016 Seton Hall University School of Law New Jersey Congratulations to the Gibbons team for finishing as quarterfinalists! With their two oralist awards and quarterfinalist finish, the Gibbons team brought home 11 points towards Regent's overall moot court ranking for this year. “The excellent performances of our moot court and negotiations teams this past weekend continue our track record over the past two decades of outstanding skills training and student performances,” said Michael Hernandez, dean of the School of Law. “I am proud of our teams and their faculty coaches, who are outstanding representatives of Regent Law and our Center for Advocacy.” Regent’s team achieved the title of “quarterfinalists” at the J. Gibbons Moot Court Competition at Seton Hall Law in Newark, New Jersey. Kathleen Knudsen ’16, Renee Knudsen ’16, and Andrew Butler ’16 were coached by Professor James Duane. R. Knudsen earned the title of “best ...

by Brett Wilson Tubbs The game is strong for Regent University’s School of Law (LAW) 2016 Moot Court competition teams. Each January, the top 16 Moot Court programs in the United States are invited to participate in the annual Andrews Kurth Moot Court National Championship at the University of Houston. Regent was selected to participate after being ranked 8th in the nation by the University of Houston Law Center at the conclusion of the 2015 competition season. Left to Right: Renee Knudsen, Marie Dienhart, Palmer Horst, and Coach Michael Hernandez Photo Credit: RUSL During the competition January 28-29, stu dents Renee Knudsen, Palmer Horst, and Marie Dienhart defended their way to second-place in the nation, just behind Georgetown as they competed with teams from schools such as Southern Methodist University, New York University and Texas Tech University. The Regent team also took home the award for best brief. The team was coached by LAW dean, Michael Hernandez. “The success of our t...

The game is strong for Regent University’s School of Law (LAW) 2016 Moot Court competition teams. Each January, the top 16 Moot Court programs in the United States are invited to participate in the annual Andrews Kurth Moot Court National Championship at the University of Houston. Regent was selected to participate after being ranked 8th in the nation by the University of Houston Law Center at the conclusion of the 2015 competition season. Price Media Law Moot Court Team. Photo courtesy of Christy Hurst. During the competition January 28-29, students Renee Knudsen, Palmer Horst, and Marie Dienhart defended their way to second-place in the nation, just behind Georgetown as they competed with teams from schools such as Southern Methodist University, New York University and Texas Tech University. The Regent team also took home the award for best brief. The team was coached by LAW dean, Michael Hernandez. “The success of our teams is a testimony to the purpose and qua...

Battling 44 teams and 88 competitors, Regent University undergraduate students took the top three places in the Moot Court Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament November 6 and 7 at Regent University. These top teams will go on to compete in a national tournament at California State University at Long Beach. Eight teams from Regent competed in the tournament. Five of these teams placed within the top 16. Two Regent students received top-five speaker awards. Michael Maunder received second and Abigail Lisa received fourth. Marie Dienhart, a third-year law student in Regent’s School of Law, coached the team to success. " Regent Law's Moot Court Board enjoyed hosting the ACMA Competition to foster the appellate advocacy skills of aspiring law students," said 3L Matthew Dunckley,Vice Chairman and Legal Research Director of Regent Law's Moot Court Board.  Learn more about the American Collegiate Moot Court Competition > By Brennan Smith

After a year of national and international Moot Court competitions, Regent University's School of Law was ranked in the top 10 for Best Moot Court Program in the Andrews Kurth Moot Court National Championship rankings by the University of Houston Law Center. Regent was ranked 8th among 202 American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law schools in the United States, placing above schools such as Harvard School of Law, Yale School of Law and New York University School of Law. “Our ranking of 8th out of over 200 ABA accredited U.S. law schools validates the excellence of our curriculum, skills training, faculty, students and Moot Court program,” said Michael Hernandez, dean of the School of Law. “It was a true team effort, and I am very proud to have the privilege of leading the Regent Law School team.” Prior to his stepping into the role as dean, Hernandez has had a long-standing history with Regent’s Moot Court program. He’s been an important leader in the program s...

 Regent's team won first place at the Touro Law Center's National Moot Court Competition. Photo courtesy of Tessa Dysart. This weekend proved to be another successful turn for Regent University School of Law's moot court competition teams both in the United States and abroad. "In an already great year for Regent's moot court program, this was a great weekend. At each of the competitions our students attended, they achieved top awards in brief writing, as oralists and as a team," said Jeffrey Brauch, dean of the School of Law. "I'm excited for the students, as God has honored their hard work and dedication. I couldn't be more excited for them; it's amazing what they've done." Regent's team won first place at the Touro Law Center's National Moot Court Competition in Law & Religion in New York. Wesley Pilon, Tiffany Bennett and Michael Pierce were coached by assistant law professor Tessa Dysart. ...

Regent's Moot Court Team. Photo courtesy of Michael Hernandez. Regent University's School of Law has been ranked as the nation's sixth best Moot Court program out of all American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law schools in the United States by the University of Houston Law Center's annual report. Regent is ranked among schools such as George Washington School of Law, Columbia Law School, and Cornell University Law School. On Saturday, March 8, law students Renee Knudsen '16, Palmer Horst '16 and Marie Dienhart '16 did their part, becoming one of four groups from of 191 competing teams to advance from the regional round of the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition in St. Louis, Missouri. The team also took home the third-best brief award. Veteran moot court and School of Law professor Michael Hernandez coached the team. ...

While exhibiting excellence in the classroom throughout their three years of law school is important to the legal profession, another vital component of training to become a lawyer is writing, researching and defending an argument. Last week, a number of Regent University School of Law students were given the opportunity to exhibit their speaking and reasoning skills at three different Moot Court competitions in Virginia and New York. "I continue to be amazed at the skill, preparation and success of our moot court teams. They excel in every aspect of their competitions," said Jeffrey Brauch, dean of Regent Law. "I am deeply proud of our students and their faculty coaches—and I praise God for their success." Saturday, Feb. 8, Regent Law assistant professor Tessa Dysart led her team of 3L students, Andrew Stevener, Chelsea Schlittenhart and Drew Cziok (pictured above)  through the 2014 National Religious Freedom Moot Court Competition. The team finished in secon...

Through the Right to Work Practicum at Regent University School of Law, Regent’s law students have recently had the incredible opportunity to participate in not one, but two cases being heard by the United States Supreme Court. The United States Supreme Court will rule on Mulhall v. UNITE HERE in 2014. Students participated in both Mulhall v. UNITE HERE , a major labor law case heard by the United States Supreme Court on November 13, and Harris v. Quinn, another important labor law case which the court will review in 2014. Under the guidance of Professor Bruce Cameron, a National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation litigator and Reed Larson Professor of Labor Law at Regent University (pictured) , law students provided research for the lead attorney in Mulhall v. UNITE HERE .  Students also conducted research for Harris v. Quinn . “Most attorneys never file a case that the U.S. Supreme Court will consider,” says Professor Cameron.  “Few attorneys are involved...