Spring 2012 Florida State Law magazine - Florida State University ...

Cover Story
“Moot Court,” continued from page 2
(L-R) Brenden Soucy (’13),
James VanLandingham (’13) and
Ashley DiNunzio (’12)
mates, the following weekend, Amanda
Gibson (’12) and Sara Huff (’12) won
the George Washington Religious
Freedom Moot Court Competition at
George Washington University Law
School in Washington, D.C.
“We weren’t sure if we were supposed
to yell and scream and hug, so we just
politely smiled at each other and tried
to be gracious,” said Huff about the
announcement that Florida State had
won. “It was later on in our hotel room
that we did a little happy dance and got
to celebrate.”
On February 25, the winning streak
continued when Whitney Brummett
(’12) and Chelsea England (’12) placed
first in the Domenick L. Gabrielli
National Family Law Competition at
Albany Law School in Albany, New
York. And on March 25, Ashley Di-
Nunzio (’12), Brenden Soucy (’13) and
James VanLandingham (’13) won the
team’s final major competition of the
year. They placed first in the Kaufman
Memorial Securities Law Moot Court
Competition at Fordham Law School
in New York, New York.
“We had an esteemed final round
panel,” said DiNunzio about a judging
panel that included Commissioner Troy
A. Paredes, of the United States Securities
and Exchange Commission, and
judges from five United States Circuit
Courts of Appeals, including Chief
Judge Alex Kozinski, of the Ninth
Circuit, and Judge Richard A. Posner,
of the Seventh Circuit. “I think that
they talked 75 percent of the time. It
was difficult to get a word in, and when
you got a word in, you had to make sure
it was something that was prepared and
that it was something they would understand
because if not, you knew that
they would jump all over you. It was one
of the best experiences of my life and
I wouldn’t change that for anything.”
Moot Court Team members give
much of the credit for this year’s record
five championships – the most won by
the team in any year – to faculty advisor
Nat Stern.
“Nat Stern is absolutely one of the
reasons why we are so successful,” said
Huff, who served as the team’s president
this past year. “He is always thinking
ahead and he really does care about us.
We always joke that he never sleeps, but
I don’t think he can. He is a renowned
constitutional scholar, he teaches and he
gives all this attention and dedication
to the Moot Court Team. He sits on as
many panels as he can and he will sit and
talk to people about the constitutional
issues in their problems at length; he’s
always available.”
“Each step of the way, whenever you
have a question about anything Moot
Court related, he is happy to answer
it,” said DiNunzio about Stern. “He
gives everyone his cell phone number,
his house number, his e-mail.”
Always one to give recognition where
it is due, Stern believes his talented students
and a long list of others deserve
kudos for the team’s accomplishments.
“Of course, the central reason for the
Team’s success is the superb talent and
unflagging dedication of its members,”
said Stern. “Faculty, practitioners and
judges also are absolutely crucial to the
success of the Team. And the program
benefits immensely from Dean Weidner’s
unwavering support of the Team.
“Many of my colleagues over the
years have been extremely generous
with their time and expertise in serving
as coaches, practice panelists, or
both. The same holds true for local
practitioners and judges. For example,
Continued on page 4
SPRING 2012
3