BRIEFS
Arbitration Team Wins Oral Advocacy Award A team of Cornell Law School students coached by Professor
Stephen G. Yusem won the Oral Advocacy Award at the New York State Arbitration Competition, held November 13 and 14, 2015, at the American Arbitration Association offices in New York City. The Cornell team, drawn from the Law School’s Arbitration Law and Practice Course taught by Adjunct Professors Stephen G. Yusem and Patricia A. Ranieri, consisted of Victoria
Luttman ‘17 of Australia, Aditya Singhal LL.M. ‘17 of India, Johannes Van’t Zand of the Netherlands, and Sara Qahoush ‘17 of Jordan, who was the team captain. “Our team, on short notice, turned in a superb performance and Presiding Justice Hon. Karen K. Peters (right) and Associate Justice Hon. Elizabeth A. Garry
Moot Court Room Hosts Oral Arguments before the New York State Supreme Court The New York State Supreme Court came to Cornell Law School on October 22 to hear oral arguments on a range of issues, including child neglect, jury selection, mining leases, subcontracts, liability, and the rights of a defendant who pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter. For the bench of the Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department— Presiding Justice Hon. Karen K. Peters and Associate Justices Hon. Christine M. Clark, Hon. Elizabeth A. Garry, and Hon. Robert S. Rose—it was a good day’s work, and for Cornell Law School students, it was a rare opportunity to observe an appellate court in action.
well deserves the accolades that it has received,” said Yusem. Fourteen New York law schools entered arbitration teams
“To see litigators and justices in the moot court room was a great way to put the real world and the academic world into one place,” said Stephanie Command ’16. “It was eye-opening to get the state perspective, because in most of our coursework, we focus on federal law,” said Mateo de la Torre ’16, who along with Command is a student in Professor John H. Blume’s 3L course on federal appellate practice. “It was an interesting mix of civil and criminal cases where students could see how the law affects real people in real ways,” says Blume, the Samuel F. Leibowitz Professor of Trial Techniques; Director of Clinical, Advocacy, and Skills Programs; and Director of the Cornell Death Penalty Project. “And as the course keeps going forward, the things they experienced today are going to make their work more tangible.”
consisting of three members and one or two coaches. The competitors received a realistic commercial dispute fact pattern together with pleadings and supporting documents drafted by experienced arbitrators and advocates. Teams were required to draft a pre-hearing memorandum, prepare witnesses, and conduct an arbitration hearing before a panel of professional arbitrators. Competitors participated in two preliminary rounds after which two teams were selected for a championship round. The two-day schedule included demonstrations as well as programs on arbitration advocacy and arbitration awards. The American Arbitration Association, in cooperation with the New York State Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section, sponsored the event. The Cornell team was sponsored by the Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution, a joint enterprise of the Law School and the ILR School.
Winning arbitration team members (from left) Aditya Singhal, Victoria Luttman, and Johannes Van’t Zand
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Spring 2016