UW-LLSA's Moot Court Team took second place at the 11th Annual Hispanic National Bar Association ("HNBA") Moot Court Competition and "Petitioner's Best Brief" award. The HNBA Moot Court Competition, held in Seattle this month, is a national event that draws teams from all over the United States. Thirty moot court teams from New York Law School to the University of Hawaii Law School took part in this year's competition. The HNBA competition brings students from all over the country to compete on some of the foremost national legal issues facing the United States Supreme Court. These issues range from copyright and constitutional issues to civil and human rights. Team members Francisco Ortega (2L) and Anthony Martinez (3L) argued this year's moot court problem, which was both timely and relevant. The problem was largely based on the issues of presidential authority and international law facing the U.S. Supreme Court in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld later this month. According to LLSA President Ana Polanco, "This is an excellent achievement for LLSA and the University of Wisconsin Law School because this is only the second team that LLSA has sent to the HNBA moot court competition." Last year, the LLSA first HNBA Moot Court team advanced to the quarterfinals leaving them in the top eight out of thirty-three teams. Gerardo Alcazar (3L), this year's team coach and one of last year's competitors, was able to train this year's team on the high level of substance and style that the HNBA Competition expects of its competitors. LLSA's quick success is in part due to the rigorous training that LLSA provides its team during the oral advocacy phase. According to Francisco Ortega, "It was an honor to represent our law school and the Latino organization in such an outstanding event. I am much indebted to LLSA, my teammate, coach, and practice judges for their tremendous outpour of support." LLSA's moot court preparation also fosters a strong comradery between the team, the coach and other LLSA members, focusing on the strength of the team and making it a competitive but also enjoyable experience. For competitor Anthony Martinez, "It was a great experience. I feel like I had the best teammate and the best coach. We worked hard and it paid off." Congratulations on behalf of the LLSA Executive Board and the membership to Francisco Ortega and Anthony Martinez. LLSA extends a special thank you to Gerardo Alcazar for his excellent coaching and team management, the members and faculty involved in the practices, Dean Robarts and the Law School for all their support in helping us make this competition a success. For more information, please contact 3L Ana Polanco, LLSA President, at ampolanco@wisc.edu

Submitted by UW Law School Newsletter Admin on March 23, 2006

This article appears in the categories: Student Organizations