Jessup Moot Court Team Earns Oralist Award

Washburn Law's Phillip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court team of Brett Shanks, Norah Avellan, Megan Williams, Whitney Mills, Nicole Southall (1L representative), and Michael Fessinger turned in a fine performance at the Rocky Mountain Super-Regional round of the international competition in Denver, Colorado.

Brett Shanks earned a top oralist award, the third consecutive year that Washburn advocates have won such an award.

In Denver, 22 schools competed, with the top two teams advancing to the international round to be held in Washington D.C. in April. Washburn's team ended the round-robin phase with a 2-2 record. They defeated UMKC and Oklahoma City, but came up short in two very close split-decisions with Loyola-New Orleans (eventual winner of the Rocky Mountain Regional competition) and Gonzaga.

Although Washburn's team did not make the quarterfinals, they performed very well in what was the culmination of five months of research, writing, and long hours of practice rounds. The team's coach, Professor Craig Martin, shown on the left in the photo, observed that "Team members found Jessup to be a great experience, and they did Washburn proud, in both their advocacy and their interaction with the other teams, in the finest traditions and spirit of the competition."