“Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it.” – Robert Frost
“First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak.” - Epictetus
What is the single most important skill for a lawyer and a leader? I believe it is effective, persuasive written and oral communication.
Our students are educated and trained to perfect those skills. One of our programs, Moot Court, hones those skills to the highest level. We have a long tradition of excellent moot court teams, and our current team continues in that tradition. Last March, our Moot Court Team won an unprecedented three consecutive national moot court competitions.
Our National Award-Winning C|M|Law Moot Court Program is designed to provide our students the opportunity to develop, refine, and showcase a critically important and valuable combination of brief-writing and appellate advocacy skills. 26 second- and third-year students were selected for team membership through a written and oral advocacy competition. Upon joining the team, each student competes in one extra-mural competition against teams from schools across the country.
C|M|LAW’s Moot Court Team presented our 49th Annual Moot Court Night last week. Our Moot Court Night showcased three students who delivered both sides of a mock appellate argument before a distinguished panel of judges. We were honored to have a panel composed of Judge Anita Laster Mays ‘92, of the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals, Judge Nancy Fuerst ‘88, of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, and our own Professor Jonathan Witmer-Rich. Highly respected Cleveland criminal defense attorney David Grant moderated the program.
The students who argued – 3Ls Rachel Kalayjian, Patrick Sennish, and Nicole Vincent – were outstanding! Rachel won best oral advocate. They were very well prepared both substantively and in their courtroom demeanor, so much so, that one of the judges remarked that they performed better than many practicing lawyers.
Instrumental in helping the students hone those skills were their chief coach, Professor Carolyn Broering-Jacobs, and alumni coaches, Caitlin Hill, ’14, of the Ohio ACLU, and Robert McCaleb, ’15, of the Cuyahoga County Public Defender. 3L student Madelyn Grant, Chairperson of the Moot Court Program, coordinated a multitude of details to make the night a great success.
As I listened to Rachel, Patrick, and Nicole brilliantly deliver their arguments, I was reminded that the best oral advocates are able to take a position with which they personally disagree. Moot Court requires our students to step outside the constraints of their own immediate, biased frames of reference. The best communicators, in the words of Stephen Covey, “seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
Have a great week.
My best,
Lee
For copies of past messages, please go to this link: Monday Morning Messages.