The Mississippi Bankruptcy Conference congratulates the moot court teams from Mississippi College School of Law and the University of Mississippi School of Law for their success in the 2015 National Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition in New York City, and the 2015 Fifth Circuit Elliott Cup Competition held in Houston.
The National Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition, sponsored by the American Bankruptcy Institute and St. John’s University School of Law, is widely recognized as one of the nation’s preeminent moot court competitions. It is designed to promote and recognize oral and written advocacy on significant issues in bankruptcy practice. This year’s competition included more than sixty law school moot court teams from across the county.
Three teams from Mississippi's two law schools set out to advance to and compete in this year's Duberstein competition. One team, from Mississippi College School of Law, made it to the semi-finals. The teams consisted of Kasey Mitchell, Candace Bowen, and Dustin Carter (brief writer). In addition, both Candace Bowen and Kasey Mitchell received a Best Advocate Award. In total only five such awards were presented among a group of more than 120 competitors.
The other teams, one each from the University of Mississippi School of Law and Mississippi College School of Law, were eliminated at the 2015 Fifth Circuit Elliott Cup regional competition in February.
The annual Fifth Circuit Elliott Cup Competition, sponsored by the Bankruptcy Section of the State Bar of Texas, is designed to serve as a formal practice competition for Fifth Circuit law school teams that will compete in the National Duberstein Competition.
In addition to providing financial support for the teams, the Mississippi Bankruptcy Conference hosts an annual preliminary practice round for our Mississippi moot court teams. The 2015 practice round was judged by Hon. Neil Olack, Hon. Edward Ellington and Hon. Katherine Samson. The practice round provides the students a true courtroom experience, as well as an opportunity to receive advocacy tips from sitting bankruptcy judges. This year’s practice round was hosted by the Mississippi College School of Law in Oxford, followed by a dinner for the judges, students and coaches in the home of Judge Neil Olack and his wife.