UGA LAW SCHOOL MOOT COURT TEAM ADVANCES TO NATIONAL FINALS

Tuesday, November 26, 1996 WRITER: Kathy R. Pharr, (706) 542-5172 CONTACT: Richard Ford, (706) 548-1151 UGA LAW SCHOOL MOOT COURT TEAM ADVANCES TO NATIONAL FINALS ATHENS, Ga. -- For the seventh consecutive year, the University of Georgia School of Law will advance to the finals of the National Moot Court Competition in New York City in January. UGA secured the berth by reaching the finals of the Southeastern Regionals November 21-22 in Atlanta. UGA also claimed the Best Brief Award in the regional tournament. UGA\u27s team of third-year law students Kerry Harike, Chandler Mason, and Tom Mew posted a 5-1 record in the regional competition. UGA defeated teams from Stetson, Florida, Florida State, and Georgia State in the preliminary rounds, and Stetson in the semifinals before falling to Emory in a closely-contested final round. The top two teams from each region advance to the national finals. The students accomplished their goal of advancing to New York, said Richard Ford, moot court advisor. The National Moot Court Competition is the oldest and most prestigious moot court tournament in the country, and the University of Georgia is one of only two schools in the nation to advance to the final rounds in New York in each of the last seven years. The University of Georgia School of Law has a well-established record of excellence in the National Moot Court Competition: teams in 1996 and 1994 were finalists in New York, and in 1992, UGA won the coveted national championship. The University of Georgia is also the only law school in the nation to have reached the quarterfinals of the national finals for six consecutive years. The Southeastern Regional Competition was sponsored by the Younger Lawyers Section of the State Bar of Georgia. Students argued a hypothetical appellate court case concerning the registration of sex offenders following their release from prison, and the waiver of fees for prisoners\u27 appeals. -30