Moot Court Team Wins Best Brief Award

L to R: Chris Dralla, Charlie Bisesto, Heather Corini, Kris Kokotaylo, Adam Polk

Hastings students Charlie Bisesto, Chris Dralla, and Kris Kokotaylo won the Best Brief award at the fifteenth annual Tulane Mardi Gras Competition held in New Orleans, February 10-12, 2010.  This is the third Best Brief award for Kris Kokotaylo in his moot court career here at Hastings, and the second brief award for brief editor Chris Dralla.  The team's award-winning brief will be further honored with publication in the Tulane Sports Lawyers' Journal.  

Competing against forty other teams from prestigious law schools across the country, the Hastings team of third years also advanced to the semifinals of oral advocacy rounds.  Kris engaged panel after panel of judges with his calm and steady demeanor as well as his exceptional knowledge of the law.  Charlie similarly impressed with his strong presence and masterful use of judges' questions, and one judge praised his fifteen minutes at the podium as "the Charlie show."

The Mardi Gras Competition focuses on cutting-edge sports law problems, such as whether a sports league has an affirmative duty to provide information about illegal substances to players and whether players' certain state law claims against a league are preempted by federal labor law.  The Tulane competition, held during the New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration, is one of the most exciting appellate advocacy competitions in the country.

The Hastings Moot Court Program congratulates the team and thanks them for representing the Hastings community so well at the competition!  Special thanks to student coaches and Moot Court Board co-chairs Heather Corini and Adam Polk and to alumni coach Toni Young for their support and guidance.

There are still a number of Hastings moot court teams who are practicing for their upcoming competitions, so please visit www.hastingsmootcourt.com and sign up to be a volunteer practice judge.  You may also contact Toni Young, younga@uchastings.edu, to hear about other ways you or your firm can continue to support the strong tradition of Moot Court success at Hastings.