Home Law School News Drake Law students named ‘Best Team Oralists’ at moot court competition

Drake Law students named ‘Best Team Oralists’ at moot court competition

Drake Law intellectual property (IP) students were recently named “Best Team Oralists” during the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition in Dallas, Texas. Team members from Drake included Tim Alberts, Kelsey Knight, Kyle Mendenhall and Madelyn Smith.

The Competition was established in 1990 in honor of Saul Lefkowitz, Chairman of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Drake students participated in one of five regional competitions across the country.

The objective of the Competition is to introduce law students to important issues arising in United States trademark and unfair competition law. Law students who participate in the Competition have the opportunity to develop their brief writing and oral advocacy skills in a mock courtroom experience.

“Every year, our intellectual property law students compete in both the Giles Rich and Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competitions,” said Peter K. Yu, Kern Family Chair in Intellectual Property Law and director of the Drake Intellectual Property Law Center. “These competitions not only allow students to hone and refine their advocacy skills, but also provide them with an opportunity to learn directly from local attorneys practicing on the frontline.”

Coaches for the Drake team are Christine Lebrón-Dykeman (partner) and Alexandria Christian (associate) both from McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC, in Des Moines. The Drake Law IP moot court team received funding support from the Iowa Intellectual Property Law Association and McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC. Ed Sease, partner at McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC, is a longtime adjunct professor at Drake Law.

It is no surprise that Drake Law IP students excel: In March 2013, peer surveys conducted by U.S. News and World Report ranked the Drake Intellectual Property Law Center among the top 15 intellectual property law programs in the United States and one of the top three programs in the Midwest.