Jodi Hudson ’96:
Her 15-Year Anniversary as Leader of Moot Court The Interscholastic Moot Court program, originally launched in the early 1990s under an optimistic Dean Riccio, had one trophy cabinet to hold the awards he expected the then-fledgling program to win. Today, an entire corridor is a testament to the success of the Interscholastic Moot Court team. Trophies fill the shelves of multiple glass cabinets, and the walls are adorned with plaques from regional and national competitions. Even more impressive, for six of the seven years, Seton Hall Law has always ranked in the top 16 of the nation’s 200 law schools. “We know Seton Hall Law students are extremely talented,” said Dean Boozang, “but we have Jodi Hudson to thank for the strength of our Moot Court program today.” Hudson’s gifts as the Director of Moot Court emanate from her own extensive litigation experience, first as Assistant District Attorney in the Bronx District Attorney’s office, and today, as Of Counsel at the law firm Connell Foley LLP. “When I was invited to lead the program in 2000, I was interviewing at Connell Foley as an Associate,” Hudson recounted. “I let them know my plans for Moot Court, and they loved it then and have continued to support my work ever since.” As Jennifer Critchley, ’02 Partner at Connell Foley notes, “many of Jodi’s students have become successful attorneys at the firm.” “Jodi is that once-in-a-lifetime coach and mentor who sees potential in her students and she pushes them and challenges them until they realize the potential that she always knew was there,” said Nina Trovato ’16, who served on the Seton Hall Law Review and just joined the Litigation Practice Group at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in Manhattan. “Moot Court was the most valuable experience I had in law school, and perhaps the most valuable experience of my academic career.” Hudson trains her Moot Court competitors to employ the skills of a litigator. “They learn how to master a case so they can shift and pivot on a dime no matter which direction the argument takes,” she said. “Most of all, I teach students that arguing before the court is essentially having a conversation.” Preparation also includes intensive practice with dedicated coaches, and Hudson is grateful to her fellow alumni who share her commitment to Moot Court – in particular, Victor Afanador ’98 and Melissa Natale ’03, who have been coaching since they graduated.
Above: The 2016-17 Moot Court team poses before the chock-full team trophy case. Pictured, from left, are Misbahul Fatima ’17, Maximilian Mescall ’17, Tracey Cordeiro ’17, Jodi Hudson ’96, Alexander Gacos ’18, Alexander Raap ’18, and Randy Pearce ’18. Below, right: Jodi Hudson rehearses for a competition in 1995.
“Moot court is the lifeblood of any experienced trial, negotiator or appellate lawyer,” said Afanador. “The intense regimented program that Jodi has developed lifts the craft of oral advocacy to a science that will stay with these future lawyers. I believe in her system and I instill it in both my moot court students and in the young lawyers I train at my firm.” Hudson takes the program as seriously as she would if she were training first-year associates, well aware that litigation skills translate to career success. And her approach has paid off. “One day one of my graduates called me and said, ‘I just prepped an outline for a motion, and I showed it to the partner on the case. He looked it and asked, ‘Who taught you how to do that?’ and I said, ‘Jodi did.’ Which is as great a compliment as I could ever wish for,” Hudson concluded. Hudson hears from most of her 300 alumni regularly, many of whom judge in the John J. Gibbons Criminal Procedure Moot Court Competition or coach one of her 15 teams. Hudson remarks, “The Moot Court program is not only an invaluable educational tool but also an incredible doorway to a network of alumni who are supportive in securing job opportunities… along with a few marriages thrown in. We are one big family.” Fall 2016 | law.shu.edu
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