The law team of Julie Goen, Vanessa Burgess and Julie Caskey is just one of the two
teams awarded a moot court national championship title in October. The team is pictured
with coach Rob Sherwin.
The Texas Tech University School of Law brought home two national championship titles
in two separate law competitions the weekend of Oct. 17-19.
In Malibu, Calif., one Texas Tech team bested 23 other top teams from across the
country to bring home the top prize at the National Entertainment Law Moot Court
Competition. The team consists of third-year law students Vanessa Burgess of Washington,
D.C.; Julie Goen of Seminole; and Julie Caskey, brief writer, from Katy. Caskey also
was honored with the Best Respondent’s Brief Award.
En route to its championship, the team defeated South Texas College of Law in the
final round, UC Hastings School of Law in the semifinals, and Fordham University
School of Law in the quarterfinals. The team is coached by Robert Sherwin, professor
of law and director of Advocacy Programs at Texas Tech.
Meanwhile, in Albuquerque, another trio of Texas Tech law students won the First
Annual National Latino/a Law Student Association National Moot Court Competition.
Comprising the team are second-year law students Ricardo Barrera, of Kingsville;
Brian Foley, of Universal City; and Benton Ross, of Wichita Falls. The trio defeated
Northern Illinois University School of Law in the final round, and Ross was named
outstanding oralist of the competition. Barrera was elected chair of the Rocky Mountain
Region of the organization. The NLLSA team is coached by Cal Lewis, associate dean,
and co-coached by Arnold Loewy, professor of law.
The team of Ricardo Barrera, Brian Foley and Benton Ross took the national championship
in the First Annual NLLSA National Moot Court Competition. The team is pictured with
coach Cal Lewis.
Winning two national titles in one weekend is impressive, even to Walt Huffman, dean
of Texas Tech’s School of Law.
“This is a new record for our historically strong advocacy program – and it may be
a record for law schools in general,” Huffman said. “It also marks a very strong
start for our new director of Advocacy Programs, Rob Sherwin, who replaced the legendary
retired ‘Coach’ Don Hunt earlier this year.”
Hunt taught appellate advocacy at Texas Tech from 1974-2004, after which he limited
his involvement to coaching the national appellate advocacy teams. He also was coach
of the national trial teams for 30 years.
