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Page 1
REGENT UNIVERSITY MOOT COURT BOARD APRIL 2012
2011-2012 Moot Court Board
Dear Moot Court Board
Alumni & Friends,
On behalf of the 2011-12 Moot Court
Board, I am so thankful for your support
and encouragement over this past year. I
cannot believe another year is already
coming to a close. It was a privilege and
an honor to serve as Chairman of this in-
credible Board.
Our goal was to continue the tradition
of servant leadership in the Regent Law
community and to glorify God with excel-
lence in appellate advocacy. God blessed
our efforts through continued growth in the
competitions we hosted here at Regent.
We were privileged to complete the vision
of past boards in recognizing the late Vir-
ginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Has-
sell’s legacy by naming our National Con-
stitutional Law Competition in his honor.
We also had incredible success at the inter-
scholastic competitions to which we sent
teams, including the receipt of Best Oralist
awards by four Regent advocates.
Next year will present many opportu-
nities for continued growth and excellence
for the Moot Court Board. We are excited
to pass the mantle of leadership and ser-
vice on to the next Board under the leader-
ship of Joshua Jenkins. We look forward
to seeing the fruits of Josh’s innovative
vision for the Board and desire to promote
unity and collaboration with Regent’s oth-
er academic boards.
I have full confidence in the 2012-13
Board’s ability to lead the Moot Court
Board with excellence over the next year,
particularly as they host the ACMA Na-
tional Competition in January 2013.
Thank you again, and God Bless!
Outgoing Chairman’s Corner 1
1L Intramural Competition 2
ABA Regional Competition 2
Elon University Competition 3
2012-2013 Moot Court Board 4
Incoming Chairman’s Corner 4
Inside this issue:
Chairman’s Corner Tristen Rae Cramer, Chairman
Page 2
First Successes in 1L Competition Joshua Jenkins, Chairman-Elect
REGENT UNIVERSITY MOOT COURT BOARD APRIL 2012
Over 140 first-year law students com-
peted for the best oralist title in this year’s
1L Moot Court Competition. The competi-
tion problem was based on a criminal pro-
cedure issue, and an evidence issue. The
first issue involved whether a police of-
ficer’s stop of a pedestrian, and subsequent
retention of a college identification card
constituted a seizure of the pedestrian. The
second issue asked whether, assuming a
seizure occurred, the exclusionary rule
would require suppression of contraband
discovered on the pedestrian during a
search incident to arrest, which was
prompted by the discovery of an outstand-
ing warrant.
“Not having taken Evidence or Con-
stitutional Criminal Procedure classes
makes this problem really challenging,"
said Beau Hoffman, a competitor who
advanced to the semi-final round. “We
also had some tough judges with difficult
questions.”
The judicial panels were made up of
Moot Court Board Members as well as
distinguished attorneys and professors.
Judges brought their expertise to the
bench, challenging competitors to think
about the legal basis for their arguments,
and the public policy implications of the
rules they proposed. When great attorneys
and judges volunteer their time to help
students develop their advocacy skills,
their investment pays big dividends.
“I never thought of
myself as an oral advo-
cate, but this experience
has helped me realize that
I shouldn’t put limits on
what God may want me to
do.” said Kahryn Rom-
bach who competed and
advanced to the round of
thirty-two. Kahryn was
one of the many outstand-
ing competitors this year,
who all had to rotate
through four different
legal arguments as their
rounds progressed.
This year added a new
semi-final round of eight
competitors, which includ-
ed 1L Students Sharon Kerk, Erik
McCauley, Jacob Balderson, Joshua
Smith, Ethan Stowell, Elise Girani, Beau
Hoffman, and David Engelhardt. After a
very competitive round, Kerk, McCauley,
Balderson, and Smith advanced to the final
round. Facing a panel including the Moot
Court Faculty Advisor, Professor Michael
Hernandez, as well as Professors Kathleen
McKee, David Velloney, David Wagner,
and Tessa Dysart, the final four competi-
tors fielded tough questions and articulated
clear answers with references to case law
and the record.
At the end of the challenging final
round, Tristen Cramer, the Moot Court
Board Chair, and James Fry, the 1L Com-
petition Coordinator, announced the win-
ners. Joshua Smith took first place, with
Erik McCauley, Sharon Kerk and Jacob
Balderson taking second through fourth,
respectively. The competition also in-
cludes best brief awards, which the Board
will announce once the briefs have been
graded. This competition would not have
been possible without our distinguished
alumni, judges, attorneys, and professors.
We appreciate the investment you make by
contributing your time and expertise to the
Regent Moot Court Board and to provid-
ing a great legal education.
1L Competition Winner Joshua Smith, with Chairman
Tristen Cramer and Competition Director James Fry
Regent Student Best Oralist at ABA Regional Christopher Young, Associate
This past March, Lindsey Fields, Ottie
Allgood, Marques Goetsch, Clinton Beh-
rends, Kenneth Luxhoj, and Jamie Barton
represented Regent Law in the ABA Re-
gional Moot Court Competition. The com-
petition is one of the most prestigious ex-
hibitions for law students, and all six com-
petitors displayed the skill, integrity, and
motivation needed to compete in the tour-
nament. The six competitors were split up
into two teams and had the task of prepar-
ing briefs and practicing oral arguments.
The preparation for the competition took
over two months, but the dedication and
hard work paid off. Lindsey Fields, a se-
cond year law student, received the “Best
Oralist” award for the competition. The
experience has left Fields with a new per-
spective on teamwork and faith. “I not
only learned to work with people I had
never met, but I let the Lord use a gift He
gave me to teach me the power of faith,”
explained Fields. “As soon as I stopped
being the one in control He started speak-
ing. It might sound cliché but the Holy
Spirit gave me my arguments.”
Regent's Moot Court Teams have re-
ceived three best oralist awards this school
year along with numerous other achieve-
ments. Congratulations to all the competi-
tors for a job well done!
Page 3
Regent Takes Best Oralist at Elon Graham Stolle, Associate
REGENT UNIVERSITY MOOT COURT BOARD APRIL 2012
Recently the Regent University
Moot Court Board had the pleasure to
send an interscholastic team to Elon
University to compete in the second
annual Billings, Exum and Frye Na-
tional Moot Court Competition. The
competitors, Anastasios Kamoutsas,
Carmen Cabrero, and Samuel
Moultrie, performed exceptionally
under the excellent leadership and
guidance of Professor McKee.
Though the trip started out rocky, with
rental car engine problems and a lost
hotel reservation, the competitors re-
mained unfazed.
The competition concerned First
Amendment issues of Freedom of
Speech and Freedom of Religion. This
interscholastic competition was the
first for these competitors. Despite
their rookie status, careful and thor-
ough preparation led to success. Their
brief scored very well. They also per-
formed very well in their oral advocacy.
The team went 3-0 in the preliminary
rounds. In the end, the team finished fifth
overall out of 33 teams. Though our team
did not ultimately win the competition,
Carmen Cabrero received the Best Oralist
award for the preliminary rounds. Alt-
hough our team had some amazing accom-
plishments, it is most important that in
every round our team demonstrated out-
standing integrity and respect for the judg-
es and for other competitors, and really
represented the Moot Court Board, the
faculty, the school, and its mission very
well.
The team had a great time and appre-
ciated the opportunity to compete and rep-
resent Regent. In the words of Anastasios
Kamoutsas, “It was a great competition!
Very organized. Nice banquet. The best
part of the experience was getting over the
hump of getting nervous before oral argu-
ments. Once you do it enough times with-
out blanking, there is no longer that adren-
aline rush.” These competitors and the
Regent Moot Court Board continue to pro-
mote the mission of Regent University and
the Moot Court Board of excellence and
glorifying God in our actions.
Regent Excels at Craven Braden Carroll, Associate
February 22-25th, 2012 marked the
35th J. Braxton Craven, Jr. Memorial
Competition, hosted by the UNC School of
Law Holderness Moot Court organization.
Twenty-four two-person teams competed,
including Regent Law’s own Team of Jes-
sica Pak, 2L, and Jonathan Young, 3L.
This year, the two issues up for argument
were (1) whether cost-of-living pension
benefits were protected under the Con-
tracts Clause, and (2) whether the suspen-
sion of those benefits caused a violation of
the Takings Clause.
After winning the first two Prelimi-
nary Rounds, Regent’s team was seeded in
the top eight, giving them a “bye” through
Round 3 of the Competition. The Team
proceeded to win Round 4, and was seeded
fourth out of the eight remaining teams
heading into the Quarter Finals for a
matchup with Pepperdine University. After
a very competitive set of arguments, Pep-
perdine University won the Quarter
Final Round, and went on to later beat
Brooklyn University in the Finals, with
Florida State winning best brief.
The Regent Team’s hard work would
not go unnoticed. Jonathan Young re-
ceived Best Oralist for the Competition,
with Jessica Pak following just four points
behind. It was a strong showing from a
talented group of Regent Law students,
who, as Jessica Pak says, “are excited to
compete again!”
Regent 2L Carmen Cabrero won Best
Oralist in the Elon prelims.
UPCOMING EVENTS October 26-27, 2012
Hassell National Constitutional Law Moot Court
Competition
November 7-12, 2012
Regent Cup, 2L-3L Intramural Competition
January 17-19, 2013
ACMA Nationals
Spring, 2013 (Dates TBA)
1L Moot Court Competition
Page 4
Passing the Torch: The 2012-2013 Moot Court Board
REGENT UNIVERSITY MOOT COURT BOARD APRIL 2012
To keep up to date on current Moot Court Board
news, upcoming events, or to register as a judge
for one of our competitions or make a donation
to the board, please visit us online at http://
www.regent.edu/acad/schlaw/student_life/
studentorgs/mootcourt/home.cfm.
Follow MCB Online!
Chairman’s Corner: A New Chapter Joshua Jenkins, Chairman-Elect (2012-2013) This year has been amazing. The As-
sociates I’ve worked with consistently
prove their talent and reliability; the Board
Members we’ve worked for have led Re-
gent’s Moot Court Board to a place of
strength and excellence. Perhaps most
importantly, scores of alumni, judges, and
attorneys gave their time and talent to the
Board, investing in the excellence of the
Moot Court Board and its members. With-
out these valued volunteers, this work
would not be possible.
As the 2011-2012 Chairman, Tristen
Cramer brought a deliberate and diplomat-
ic approach to the board. She is a peace-
maker with a consistent way of interacting
with friends, fellow students, and Moot
Court Board Members. Her walk with
God is evident from her choices and her
words. As honored as I am to accept the
Chairman’s position for the 2012-2013
year, I am also acutely aware of the tradi-
tion of excellence established by those I
follow.
Next year brings new challenges, and
with them the opportunity to introduce the
excellence of Regent's Moot Court Board
to the legal community. With the ACMA
National Undergraduate Competition and
the Hassell National Constitutional Law
Competition bringing in teams, judges, and
attorneys from all over the United States to
Regent next year, the 2012-2013 board is
already working hard to lay a strong foun-
dation.
The 2012-2013 board is so thankful for the
support of our alumni, judges, and attor-
neys, and we look forward to working with
you next year to continue the tradition of
excellence you’ve helped bring to Re-
gent’s Moot Court Board.
Joshua Jenkins
Chairman
Anastasios Kamoutsas
Interscholastic Competitions Coordinator
Barrett Luxhoj
Regent Cup Director
Braden Carroll
Business Affairs Coordinator, Secretary, & Vice Chair
Carmen Cabrero
1L Competition Director
Chris Young
Special Projects Liaison
David Vitto
Public Relations Liaison
Gene Allgood
Hassell Competition Director
Graham Stolle
ACMA Competition Director
Jessica Pak
Legal Research Coordinator
Paul Bailey
Administrative Liaison
Sarah Benhoff
Operational Events Liaison
I see our time has expired.
Good luck to the 2012-2013 Moot Court Board!