GREEN HALL NEWS
On the green Law students win 13 appeals cases for unfair trials
Nathan Lindsey and Christopher Omlid won first place at the International Moot Court Competition in Information Technology & Privacy Law in October.
KU moot court teams rack up national accolades It has been an outstanding year for KU Law moot court teams. The latest accolades come courtesy of Christi VanBlarcum and Ben Winters, third-year students who won the award for best brief at the Herbert Wechsler National Criminal Law Moot Court Competition in Buffalo, N.Y. The students competed against 25 other teams from schools such as NYU, Michigan, Wisconsin, William & Mary, and Ohio State. Other strong finishes: n The team of third-year law students Colin Baumchen, Samantha Clark, Lauren Douville and Scott Wheeler advanced to the semifinals of the European Law Students’ Association Moot Court Competition in Washington, D.C. Baumchen received the award for second-best oral advocate in the competition, and Clark was named fifth-best. KU was the only school to place two students among the top five oralists. n 3Ls Evan Jarrold and Sean Foley advanced to the Sweet 16 and earned the best brief award in mid-February at the Mardi Gras Sports Law Competition in KU UNIVERSITY RELATIONS
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Everyone has the right to a fair trial, but when the legal system slips up, not all is lost. Students in the Project for Innocence and Post-Conviction Remedies at the University of Kansas School of Law work tirelessly to represent state and federal prisoners, and in the last 18 months, they have won 13 reversals of conviction for their clients. Since the start of 2009, the Project for Innocence has had a hand in 23 reversals – in some cases, giving citizens a chance to get out of prison and get on with their lives. “My hope is that through their work in the Project, the students will gain experience in the practical application of the law and have a greater realization of the importance of writing well and issue-spotting,” said Rick Kittel, supervising staff attorney. “The students have shown an ability to do these things, and that, as much as anything, has contributed to their success.” The overturned convictions have involved cases ranging from the possession of methamphetamine to identity fraud. The Project for Innocence receives more than 200 letters each year from inmates seeking assistance.
New Orleans. The event is an appellate competition sponsored annually by Tulane University Law School. n The Jessup International Law Moot Court team – 1L Matthew Agnew, 2L Sam Barton, 3L Robert Bombard, 3L Elizabeth Landau and 3L Jessica Lewicki – advanced to the quarterfinals of the KU Law symposium explores regional competition in mid-February in state of arbitration law Denver. Barton won 8th-best oralist out of roughly 90 advocates in the competition. Legal scholars from universities across the n After winning the regional title of nation explored the state of arbitration the National Moot Court Competition law during the 2011 Kansas Law Review last November, 3Ls Jill Moenius and Eddie symposium on Nov. 11. Penner placed in the top 8 out of more Presenters at “Perspectives on the than 191 teams at the national competition Current State of Arbitration Law” covered in New York City. a range of topics, including arbitration n Nathan Lindsey and Christopher ethics, the future of class action arbitration Omlid captured first place at the in the wake of AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion, International Moot Court Competition an examination of Supreme Court in Information Technology & Privacy Law. arbitration jurisprudence, and due process In addition to winning first place in the standards for arbitration. Presenters oral arguments phase of the competition, included: the judges also awarded KU’s team n Kristen Blankley, University of the prize for best petitioner brief. The Nebraska College of Law competition took place Oct. 27-29 at n David Horton, Loyola Law School the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. KU UNIVERSITY RELATIONS Los Angeles