Since 1990, Drake’s teams have placed either first or second in the region – meaning a team has qualified to compete in the National Finals in New York City 19 out of 24 years, including a 2013 National Championship by the ABA Client Counseling team.
2013-2014 was another successful year in all of the many advocacy programs available to the students. In November, the National Moot Court team competed at the 64th Annual National Moot Court Competition, hosted by the University of Minnesota. The two Drake teams won both awards for best brief, the team of Lori Bullock, Rob Conklin, and Clarissa Thiessen for best petitioner’s brief, and the team of Mara Jones, Kyle Mendenhall, and Louie Sloven for best respondent’s brief.
The Drake teams advanced to the final four where the teams faced each other. Individual Drake students were noted for their performances. The team of Jones, Mendenhall, and Sloven competed in the National Finals in New York City in February 2014 where they had the third best brief and placed third overall.
Each year, the IP Moot Court Team competes in the INTA Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition. The competition requires teams to write an appellate brief and present oral arguments about important issues arising in U.S. trademark and unfair competition law. Drake’s team won the Best Oral Argument Team award at the Southwest Regional in Dallas, TX.
Drake’s ABA Moot Court teams competed in San Francisco and the team of Thomas Bullock and La’Cee Groetken advanced to the semi-final round. Drake Law School hosted the ABA Client Counseling Competition with eleven teams from four states and the District of Columbia. Both Drake teams advanced to the semi-final round.
In November 2013, the Negotiations teams competed at the Regional Competition in St. Paul, Minnesota. The two Drake teams placed 6th and 7th, respectively, out of 24 teams. The Arbitration team also competed in Omaha in November 2013.