Through the support of a group of Drake Law alumni, with lead gifts from Brian Kennedy (LW’91) and Elizabeth (Liz) Van Arkel (LW’12), Drake Law is proud to celebrate the creation of the Matt and Laurie Doré Endowed Fund to support the moot court program.
Upon the retirement of long-time faculty members Matt and Laurie Doré in 2023, Liz Van Arkel established this fund to honor their careers as professors and leaders in our moot court program. Laurie Doré was the faculty coach of the National Moot Court team for 23 years, and Matt coached the Client Counseling teams for his entire 30 years at Drake Law. Their commitment to teaching and providing practical training impacted the lives of thousands of students who have used the skills developed at Drake Law to be effective advocates in countless legal and other professional arenas.
All of our competitions help students build essential lawyering skills. Brian Kennedy asserts that participation in the moot court program had a “meaningful impact on my professional development as an advocate.” Brian was moved to make a significant commitment to the growth of this endowed fund to ensure that the advocacy competition teams remain a significant part of a Drake Law education.
There is a lot to celebrate about the moot court program at Drake Law School. Our competition teams typically place at or near the top in regional competitions, and many have advanced to the national finals. This year, our National Moot Court team placed 2nd in what is considered by many to be the top moot court competition in the nation. (Read about our National Moot Court Team’s 2nd place finish in the national final competition here.)
For more information about how you can participate in support of the Matt and Laurie Doré Endowed Fund, please contact Thomas Smith, Senior Advancement Officer for Drake Law School, via email at thomas.smith@drake.edu.