The Holy Cross Moot Court team performed well on the national stage earlier this year, earning several honors while competing in the American Moot Court National Championship Team in January at the Florida A&M University College of Law.
Moot court competitions feature students arguing for and against positions on certain legal issues. This year’s national tournament included cases on affirmative action, freedom of speech, and academic freedom. Teams, composed of two students each, will then argue for each side in different rounds. They also field questions from judges which can expose weaknesses in or limits to their arguments.
The Holy Cross senior team of Ryan Parslow and Renu Mukherjee finished fifth at the competition, placing them in the top one-percent of teams in the nation. Sophomores Willem McGee and Natalie DeCoste also performed well, finishing seventeenth and earning a spot among the top five-percent of national teams. In addition, the other Holy Cross teams boosted the College’s collective rank with strong performances.
“Having top ranks in moot court is satisfying because our students deserve to be recognized for their skill, effort, and dedication,” said coach John O’Donnell ’04. “Watching these students engage with a problem, struggle with it, and agonize with it instills an unspeakable sense of pride.”
Mukherjee ’19, has been a member of moot court since her freshmen year, and it has led her to discover interests in constitutional law and political philosophy. Mukherjee, a Political Science major, is now looking to earn a master’s degree in Political Philosophy, as well as attend law school.
“Competing in the tournament felt surreal, as it does every time I get up to argue for Moot,” said Mukherjee. “Ryan and I put in a lot of hours of work this year, and while we felt prepared, we never expected to make it as far as we did.”
Parslow ’19 discussed how Moot Court has helped him develop critical skills to a future career in law such as critically analyzing information, writing clearly, and feeling more comfortable with oral presentations.
“Moot Court has impacted my academic experience and professional goals tremendously,” said Parslow. “I wanted to be a lawyer before entering Holy Cross, and Moot Court affirmed my desire to do so because of the ability to represent a client and formulate an argument on their behalf.
McGee ’21 and DeCoste ’21, both Political Science majors, each described how much Moot Court has played a role in their Holy Cross experiences. They are considering applying to law school after graduation.
“Joining Moot has defined so much of my experience here on the Hill, even in just my first two years,” said McGee. “Moot has exposed me to a group of passionate and talented individuals who have become some of my closest friends and mentors. Moot has bolstered my personal, academic, and professional development by immersing me in this challenging environment and constantly pushing me to grow.”
“Being surrounded by some of the brightest minds Holy Cross has to offer has pushed me to work harder and excel both in Moot and in my other classes,” said Decoste. “Being able to benefit from experiential learning has reaffirmed my desire to practice law, if not made that desire stronger.”
