The Moot Court Board at Rutgers School of Law–Newark is a student-run organization dedicated to promoting superior advocacy skills. The Board sponsors and coordinates various competitions including the Nathan Baker Mock Trial Competition and the David Cohn Appellate Advocacy Competition, and provides support and guidance to teams participating in outside specialized competitions. 
With help from the Baker family, whose generosity established the law school’s Baker Trial Courtroom, and the New Jersey Association for Justice, the 2015 Nathan Baker Mock Trial Competition was a notable success. Eighteen teams competed throughout the month-long competition, displaying their skills in trial advocacy and legal analysis, as well as their knowledge of the rules of evidence. 
The Rutgers Board was especially honored to have U.S. District Court Judge Renee Marie Bumb ’87 preside over the final trial. The winning team consisted of Alan Chen ’15 and Jon Tolentino ’15, with Alex Kozyra ’16 and Meghal Shah ’16 in second place.
 
The winners of the Baker Competition secured spots on the Rutgers National Mock Trial Team, along with Rutgers Law students who had demonstrated acumen in trial advocacy skills. The Rutgers National Mock Trial Team practiced diligently in the months leading up to the 2015 National Trial Regional Competition, in which 21 schools competed and which was hosted by Temple University Law School. Four of the Rutgers National Team members competed in Philadelphia: Max Cadmus ’15, Wan Cha ’15, Samantha McCluskey ’16, and Kristin Yu ’15.
 
The team’s solid successes in the early rounds, including a unanimous win against one of the strongest schools in the competition, resulted in their being “power” matched against two of the top teams in the competition for the third round. Their dedication, preparation and professionalism were admirable and signal another strong Rutgers performance next year.
 
All of the competitors in this year’s Cohn Appellate Advocacy competition made excellent showings and impressed the guest judges. The Board was honored to have the final round presided over by New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Anne Patterson, Superior Court Judge Michael Ostrer, and Dean Ronald Chen. Nikolas Rodriguez won First Place, Lauren Van Driesen won Second Place and Best Brief, and Samantha McCluskey won Third Place. As 3Ls they will represent Rutgers–Newark in the Fall 2015 National Appellate Competition in New York City. 
 
Additionally, the Rutgers–Newark National Appellate Team of Wan Cha and Michal Baum ’16 made a strong showing in the Fall 2014 National Appellate Competition Northeast Regional in New York City. The team submitted a top-five brief in the competition and went 1-1 in the two rounds, besting Seton Hall Law School’s team in the process.
 
This spring, the law school’s Jessup International Moot Court Team, comprised of Gulsun Turkmenogullari ’15, Abdelkader Mondoumba ’15, MacKenzie Ferguson ’16, and Corinne Burzichelli ’16, competed in the Northeast Jessup Competition. The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition is the world’s largest moot court competition, with participants from over 550 law schools in more than 80 countries. The competition simulates a dispute between countries before the United Nation’s International Court of Justice.
 
This year’s regional competition took place at Shearman & Sterling LLP in New York City on February 13-14. The Rutgers–Newark Jessup Team competed against Boston University, Boston College, Brooklyn Law School, and the University of Connecticut. The team’s written memorials and oral arguments scored competitively within the region. Notably, team member Corinne Burzichelli’s oral argument score ranked 25th, outperforming the Boston University competitors, and more than 60 participants.
 
Board members and other students competed in a variety of other national and international competitions, including New York University Immigration Law Moot Court and the ICC International Mediation Competition.
 
Caption: Shown at the National Mock Trial Competition in Philadelphia are (l-r): Moot Court  Board faculty advisor and coach Associate Dean Andrew Rossner and Rutgers National Mock Trial Team members Wan Cha '15, Max Cadmus '15, Kristin Yu '15, and Samantha McCluskey '16.