The winning Georgetown Law team of Juli Dajci (left) and Tyler Viljaste.
经过两个周末的三轮辩论, Georgetown University Law Center prevailed over five other law school teams to win the 2024 D.C. 杯模拟法庭比赛在D.C. 2月23日上诉法院.
The competition brought together some of the brightest minds at the District’s law schools, but Georgetown Law’s 2L students Tyler Viljaste and Juli Dajci clinched victory in the final round against 天主教 University of America Columbus School of Law’s Leah Roddenberry and Gerald 夏普. 夏普获得最佳演说家奖, while American University Washington College of Law took home the best brief award.
The teams from Georgetown and 天主教 argued a ripped-from-the-headlines case questioning a gun manufacturer’s liability in the wake of a fictional school shooting.
为上诉人辩护, Viljaste tackled the intellectual and ethical challenges posed by the case, emphasizing the educational value of arguing from both perspectives. “The hardest part of the topic we were mooting was putting aside my own personal biases about the subject and putting on my ‘zealous advocate’ hat for both sides,维尔贾斯特说. “然而, it was a really helpful and educational experience mooting both sides because, 准备支持任何一方, you get a better sense of the strengths and weaknesses of both, which you can incorporate into your advocacy no matter who you represent.”
代表被上诉人, 夏普 aimed to balance legal arguments with the gravity of the subject matter. “这是一个棘手的案子. Tragedies mean the right people need to be held responsible,” 夏普 said. “I think the law is clear that the defendant in the case wouldn’t be the one responsible, so you try to bring that out in a way that acknowledges the horrifying nature of the crime.”
这个假设的案例也让夏普个人感到矛盾. “我想我一直在前后摇摆. Every time I go up there, I convince myself that I’m right, that my side is right. 也许这有点确认偏见. 如果你让我告诉你我的真实想法, 这是一个相近的答案, 但这是一个很好的模拟法庭问题,他说.
Roddenberry, 与夏普一起代表上诉人, won over the judges with her smooth delivery and strong presence in the courtroom. 为她, the best parts of the competition were mastering the control of her tone and approach, 同时也有效地代表了她客户的利益. “My favorite part was learning to persuasively argue in an appellate court,”她说。.
对于Roddenberry, the most challenging aspect of the case was the tragic harm the appellants suffered due to their children’s deaths. “Especially having to represent the appellee in the final round, I had to strike the perfect balance of showing empathy and respect to the situation while also making strong legal arguments to represent our client,”她说。.
两队在法官洛伦·L. 美国的阿里汗.S. 哥伦比亚特区地方法院.C. 副检察长卡洛琳·范·齐勒和D.C. 靠谱的滚球平台公会主席查尔斯·R. 阴暗的小.
“我觉得一年比一年难. 这些球队都非常出色，”范齐勒说. “他们今年太棒了.”
阿里汗对此表示赞同，他说:“(决定因素)非常薄. 如果我们能判平局，我想我们会的.”
在宣布获胜者之前, 评委们为每位队员提供了反馈, 从天主教的二人组开始.
夏普, 根据评委的说法, 在法庭上说话很自然吗, making it feel more like a conversation than a formal courtroom battle. The judges pointed out that he was good at sticking to his main point but also quick to switch gears when needed, showing off advanced lawyering skills that are difficult to master but necessary for working in appellate law.
Roddenberry, 另一方面, commanded the courtroom with her measured pace and commanding presence. 尽管一开始有点不明朗, 她很快站稳了脚跟, 以越来越清晰和有影响力的方式陈述她的论点. The judges said her skillful employment of a hypothetical scenario significantly strengthened her position, 明确区分“可能”和“会”,这句话引起了评委们的强烈共鸣, 无论是修辞上还是实质上.
Georgetown’s Dajci began his presentation with an engaging back-and-forth dialogue with the judges, 通过创新地使用维恩图来实现. 他的谈话方式, combined with the adept handling of the judges’ queries and a structured return to his outline, 确保对他的论点进行全面报道, 示范有效的法庭策略和沟通.
Viljaste acknowledged the vulnerabilities in the appellant’s side while maintaining a solid structure in his discourse, 不断地参考他的提纲. 评委们认为这种一致性是战略上的胜利. Viljaste’s’ emphasis on federalism and his insightful analysis of Soto v. 巨蝮枪支, alongside his ability to redirect the discourse favorably when faced with difficult questions, demonstrated a nuanced understanding of legal principles and a remarkable capacity for agile thinking under pressure, 评委们说.
当被问及他的球队如何准备最后一轮时, Dajci说, “我们有一些非常好的教练帮助我们走上正轨.”
他们表达了对教练和湖人的感激之情.C. 巴，达伊奇和维尔贾斯特说.C. 杯模拟法庭比赛是一次奇妙的经历. “Competing with other students and learning from their styles [helped in] adapting my own styles and own arguments based on the amazing talent at the other school. I think this was a really strong year based on the team we went up against,” said Viljaste.
该比赛由D.C. 酒吧的社区, is an invitational event for the six law schools located in the District of Columbia. 除了乔治敦大学, 天主教, 和美国的, 其他竞争学校是霍华德大学法学院, 乔治华盛顿大学法学院, 哥伦比亚特区大学的David A. 克拉克法学院.
“在整个比赛中, I was amazed at how hardworking and talented all the students were,帕梅拉·罗宾逊想道。, D主任.C. 酒吧的社区. “I think it is safe to say that these future members of the 酒吧 will be wonderful additions to the profession.”
This article by Angela Mackie-Rutledge was published on February 28, 2024. Angela Mackie-Rutledge, a student at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School, is a D.C. 酒吧作家常驻2023-2024年.
D.C. 酒吧 and the 社区 Office gratefully acknowledge the efforts of all the volunteers and staff that helped make the 11th Annual D.C. 杯模拟法庭比赛成为现实
短暂的法官
艾伦·艾布拉姆斯
费利西亚巴蒂斯塔
安娜·玛丽亚·邦多克
史蒂文·布拉姆
卡门·凯
安东尼Coppolino
帕特里克Cothern
克里斯蒂·费雪
劳伦胆小鬼
丹尼尔Halsig
妮可·汉普顿
托尼Haraldsen
布莱恩·赫尔曼
灵堂麦金太尔
Taneashia莫雷尔
米歇尔支
朱莉罗恩
凯特·史密斯
杰西卡的城市
迪特里希·冯·比登菲尔德
极光Wheeland
艾美奖Wydman
Ahmad Yakzan
理查德年轻
口头辩论法官
朱莉Avetta
克里斯超视距
凯伦Bosshart
Doug Burdin
约瑟夫·卡彭
Tae分
丹尼斯冲
琼丘吉尔
马约莉康纳
Riddhi Dasgupta
罗宾认真
亚历山大·戈特弗里德
巴德血红素
苏珊大厅
约书亚而
约翰格林
LeAnn约翰逊
菲利普可能
杰夫。麦金
蒂莫西·米尔斯
Monta克里斯汀
约翰·奎因
约翰·罗马诺
吉莉安桑托斯
谢丽尔·斯坦
查尔斯·托马斯。
约翰Vecchione
伊丽莎白的冬天
乔治娜约曼斯
芭芭拉Zak
决赛评委
亲爱的. 罗兰L. AliKhan, District Judge, United State District Court for the District of Columbia
卡洛琳年代. Van Zile，哥伦比亚特区副检察长
查尔斯·R. 阴暗的,小.，哥伦比亚特区靠谱的滚球平台协会主席
