The Coronavirus can’t keep a good woman down! Professor Ellen Suni wasn’t going to let any pandemic rob her students of the opportunity to interact with, and learn from, our local judges and attorneys in this year's Ellison Moot Court Competition, which took place Saturday, April 4. This is Professor Suni’s 40th year of leadership in moot court, and the first ever online format. It is one that is not likely to be forgotten. She and Professor Sarah Johnson organized the event, changing it from the in-person competition to the first online format competition. It was an 11-hour day, glued to a computer, but the judges, students and organizers left with an overwhelming feeling of success.
UMKC School of Law is grateful to the time commitment by the judges and the hard work of the brief graders.
JUDGES:
- Hon. Alok Ahuja, Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District
- Hon. Jacqueline Cook, 17th Judicial Circuit, Missouri (ret.)
- Hon. Charles McKenzie, 16th Judicial Circuit, Missouri
- Hon. Steve Leben, Kansas Court of Appeals
- Hon. James O’Hara, Chief Magistrate Judge, U.S.District Court, Kansas
- Fawzy Simon, Attorney, Brief Grade, and former National Team member
Brief Graders:
- Hon. Fawzy Simon
- Steve Wolfe
- Julia Kitsmiller
Congratulations to our winners! The following six, listed in alphabetical order, were the highest ranked and were invited to be members of the 2020-2021 National Moot Court Team:
- Savina Balano
- Brigid Burroughs
- Brit Isbell
- Michael Lydon-Lorson
- Allyson Ralls
- Anna Turner
- Alternates:
- Kristen Koerber
- Rachel Spillars
Ellison Competition Award Winners:
- Sheridan Award for Best Overall: Michael Lydon-Lorson
- Sheridan Award for Best Oralist: Allyson Ralls
- Robert DeWitt Award for Best Brief: Michael Lydon-Lorson
Congratulations to all and a special thank you to Karin Suni, Professor Suni’s daughter, for volunteering her entire day to transferring people to the appropriate breakout rooms!