Bench & Bar March/April 2025

COLUMNS

UK ROSENBERG COLLEGE OF LAW AND BEREA COLLEGE CO-HOST NATIONAL SERIES TOURNAMENT

U ndergraduate students from 17 uni versities convened at the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law on Saturday, Jan. 25, and Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, for the American Moot Court Association Bluegrass National Series Tour nament, co-hosted with Berea College. This was the third competition, and second national series tournament, co-hosted by UK Rosenberg Law and Berea College. In 2022, the colleges co-hosted the Blue grass Regional Undergraduate Moot Court Tournament, a qualifier for the national tournament of the AMCA. In 2024, because of the success of the regional tournament, the colleges co-hosted one of the national series of tournaments leading to the crown ing of the annual champions. More than 60 undergraduate students on 32 teams from across the country competed in this year's national series round in Lexing ton, Kentucky. The universities represented included Bentley University, Boston Univer sity, California State University Fullerton,

California State University Long Beach, College of the Holy Cross, Eastern Mich igan University, Georgetown University, Liberty University, Loyola University Chi cago, Macalester College, Patrick Henry College, The University of Chicago, Uni versity of Southern California, Vanderbilt University, William & Mary, Williams Col lege, and Yale University. Local attorneys, including many UK Rosen berg Law alumni, volunteered to serve as “justices” for each round of the tournament. Current law students volunteered to serve as bailiffs. AMCA officials and Berea College student volunteers helped UK Rosenberg Law staff facilitate the tournament. Dan Huck, pro fessor of Law, Ethics and Society at Berea College, served as the tournament director. “This year’s tournament was once again a great success thanks to the team we have established between Berea and Rosenberg Law. Coaches, students, and national asso ciation representatives consistently praise

our event as one of the best in the coun try, and we owe that recognition to strong participation from the local legal practice community and the UK law alumni base,” Huck said. The competitions required utilizing every classroom throughout the law building, with the final round being held in the G. Chad Perry III Grand Courtroom. William Mahoney and Kaylee Pierre of Yale Univer sity took home the first-place trophy. The runners-up were Samhita Kumar and Miles Kirkpatrick, also from Yale University. “We’re grateful for the hosts and the judges, especially,” Mahoney said. “I ran a tourna ment at our school, and I know how hard it is to get judges, and judges are really the core of the tournament, and so we’re just really thankful for them.” Pierre said she also had a great time during the tournament and appreciated the excel lent facilities in the law building as well as her positive interactions with the volunteers and other competitors.

28 march/april 2025