Wake Forest Law

The Wake Forest Law Master of Studies in Law (MSL) students completed their Residential earlier this month—a rite of passage for students participating in the online master`s degree program. The Residential consisted of an intensive weekend devoted to the topic of Sustainable Corporations and taught by Professor William Pleasant. The Residential also included the first-ever MSL tailgate and dinner with Professor Pleasant.

Congratulations on completing your residential, MSL students!

Last weekend, 3L Marin Bennerotte and 2L Emiley Hatten won the second annual Brigadier General Wayne E. Alley Military Law Moot Court competition! Marin and Emily argued six times over three days, including preliminary rounds, elimination rounds, quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals.

A five-person panel judged the final round, which was held in the US Army Court of Criminal Appeals (ACCA) courtroom. The panel included Chief Judge Kevin Ohlson of the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (who authored two of the opinions relevant to the problem), Chief Judge Tiffany Pond of ACCA, US Magistrate Judge Scott Oravec, US Magistrate Judge Grady Leupold, and Marshal of the US Supreme Court Gail Curley.

“The unique nature of both the setting and the area of law that this competition presented was unlike anything I`ve experienced in law school," said Emiley. "In the final round, we got to argue in front of some of the very judges who decided the cases that the problem was based on. That experience was daunting, but it was also an unrivaled learning opportunity. We were proud to win the competition not only for ourselves, but for our coaches who had invested so much of their own time in ensuring that we were as prepared as possible.”

“This competition was both rewarding and challenging," said Marin. "Arguing in the US Army Court of Criminal Appeals against strong teams pushed us to refine our arguments at every stage. Winning feels like a testament to our hard work and the incredible support from our coaches and the Wake Law community.”

A special thanks to Appellate Advocacy Clinic Director and Professor John Korzen and Veterans Clinic Director and Professor Ellie Morales for coaching the team, and Director of Field Placements and Student Competitions Malcolm Boyd for serving as a judge during practice.

Congratulations!