Environmental Moot Court Competition Team Wins Jefferey Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition

Minnesota Law’s Environmental Moot Court Competition Team won the Jeffrey Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition at Pace Law School. The winning team includes Maria Pfister ’24, Poojan Thakrar ’24, and Hanna Weil ’24. All have environmental law expertise:Pfister is pursuing an Environmental and Energy Law Concentration, Thakrar competed on the Environmental Moot Court Competition team last year, and Weil is a veteran of the Environmental Moot Court course. The team is coached by Rachel Kitze-Collins ’14 and Emily Polachek.

Gender & Sexuality Moot Court Competition Team Wins Gender & Sexuality Moot Court Competition at Michigan State University 

Minnesota Law’s inaugural Gender & Sexuality Moot Court Competition Team won the Gender & Sexuality Moot Court Competition at Michigan State University. Madeleine Kim ’25 andLeah Kanihan ’25 were on the team that took first place in the competition.David Lindgren ’25 andKaz Lane ’25 also competed. Kanihan and Kim won second best brief, and Kanihan won third best oralist. The team is coached by three Minnesota Law alums and moot court veterans,Mark Ficken ’20,Katja Lange ’23, andAndrew Nicotra Reilly ’23. 

Inaugural Sports Law Competition Team Wins National Championship at the Mardi Gras Moot Court Invitational

Carter Allen ’24 and Jack Tate ’24, along with the team of Spencer Rojas ’24 and Ryan Clemmons ’25, made up the Law School’s first-ever Sports Law Moot Court Competition Team. The two teams competed at Tulane University’s Mardi Gras Moot Court Invitational in early February. Both teams advanced to the quarterfinals, and the Allen/Tate team won the national championship. 

Two Mock Trial Competition Teams Named Regional Co-Champs, Advance to Nationals

Minnesota Law’s intercollegiate mock trial competition teams became regional co-champions of the TYLA/ACTL National Trial Competition earlier this year. The National Trial Competition is administered by the Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) & the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) and is the largest mock trial tournament in the United States, drawing competition teams from more than 140 law schools. Both teams advanced to the national competition in Houston, Texas, in April. The Maroon Team includes Diana Kawka ’24, Dominik Ruch ’24, and Thaameran Sarveswaran ’25. The Gold Team includes Nathan Barry ’25, An Duong ’24, and Simon Earle ’24. Mock Trial team coaches are Craig Roen ’87, Joe Janochoski ’18, and Tommy Harshaw ’22.

Students Compete in the Maynard Pirsig Moot Court Honors Tournament

Shayna Korsh ’25 and David Lindgren ’25 argued before Minnesota Supreme Justice G. Barry Anderson ’79, Justice Karl Procaccini, and Justice Gordon Moore of the Minnesota Supreme Court in the final round of the Maynard Pirsig Moot Court Honors Tournament in March. Korsh won the closely contested argument, with both students receiving tremendous praise for their skills. The tournament, named in honor of the former Law School Dean Maynard Pirsig, is the culmination of the Law School’s flagship Moot Court Course — Civil Rights Civil Liberties Moot Court. Students are nominated for the tournament based on their oral advocacy skills in the year-long course. Before the final round, the four semi-finalists argued at the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

Tyler Blackmon ’24 and Patience McHenry ’26 Named Next Generation Leaders by the American Constitution Society

Tyler Blackmon ’24 and Patience McHenry ’26 were named Next Generation Leaders by the American Constitution Society (ACS). ACS has selected 34 up-and-coming legal professionals as 2024 Next Generation Leaders. Launched in 2007, the Next Generation Leaders program recognizes and supports law school students who have shown exceptional leadership in their work with their ACS student chapters. The program offers opportunities that empower the students to develop their leadership skills and make a long-lasting impact in their communities.

Chad Nowlan ’24 Receives President’s Student Leadership and Service Award

Chad Nowlan ’24 has received the University of Minnesota President’s Student Leadership and Service Award. He joins students from across the University who have shown exemplary leadership and service to their respective communities. Nowlan is a student director in the Gun Violence Prevention Clinic and symposium editor for Minnesota Law Review. Earlier this year, he organized a national conference that brought together scholars, elected officials, advocates, lawmakers, and others from diverse backgrounds and differing points of view in a day-long symposium focused on gun violence prevention post-Bruen.

Minnesota Law Editors-in-Chief Named for 2024-25

Four women will lead the University of Minnesota Law School’s law journals in the 2024-25 academic year. The incoming editors-in-chief are Fariza Hassan ’25, Journal of Law & Inequality; Laura Reyes ’25, Journal of International Law; Callan Showers ’25, Minnesota Law Review; and Christhy Le ’25, Journal of Law, Science & Technology.

Jasmin Hernandez DuBois ’24 Wins First Place in the American Association of Law Libraries Annual Student Writing Competition

Jasmin Hernandez DuBois ’24 was awarded first place by the American Association of Law Libraries’ annual student writing competition. Her paper, “The Intersection of Justice and Legal Education: Legal Education for America’s Prisoners,” focused on prison law library reformation and history throughout the United States. It also featured first-hand research by DuBois on the first two prisoners to receive their law degrees in Minnesota.

Sean O’Brien ’24 Participates in Hearing Before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board

As part of his patent field placement, Minnesota Law student Sean O’Brien ’24 traveled to Washington, D.C., for a hearing before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). O’Brien participated in the hearing through the USPTO’s Legal Experience and Advancement Program which allows patent practitioners with three or fewer substantive oral arguments in any federal tribunal to argue a case before the PTAB.

Evan Dale ’24 Wins Inaugural Everytown Law Fund Law Student Writing Competition

Evan Dale ’24 was recognized as a co-winner by Everytown Law Fund for its inaugural Law Student Writing Competition. His article, “Help Me Sue A Gun Manufacturer: A State Legislator’s Guide To The Protection Of Lawful Commerce In Arms Act And The Predicate Exception,” analyzed how the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), which gives broad immunity to the gun industry, discourages gun companies from improving their products and business practices to the detriment of victims of gun violence and society.