Six U of A Law School Students to Compete in National Finals This Week

Photo Submitted

NAAC team Clay Sapp, Jennifer Hosp and Cat Johns (left); LawMeet team Drew Lawson, Mac Ferguson and Rilee Harrison (right)

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Both a University of Arkansas School of Law appellate advocacy team and a transactional law team will compete in their respective national finals this week.

The team of Cat Johns, Clay Sapp and Jennifer Hosp (on brief), coached by Amanda Hurst, visiting assistant professor of law, and Danielle Weatherby, associate professor of law, will represent the U of A at the 2017-18 American Bar Association Law Student Division National Appellate Advocacy Competition April 5-7 in Washington, D.C.

The team of Drew Lawson, Leland "Mac" Ferguson and Rilee Harrison, coached by Will Foster, associate dean for academic affairs and Arkansas Bar Foundation Professor, will represent the law school at the 2018 Transactional LawMeet Competition national finals April 6 in New York City.

Transactional LawMeet Competition

In the Transactional LawMeet Competition, each team represents either the buyer or seller in a fictional corporate transaction.  In this year's LawMeet, competitors are negotiating the terms of an acquisition by a multinational fund of a technology company valued at over $2 billion.

The competition began with teams around the country participating in a series of conference calls and draft agreements generated between Dec. 15, 2017, and Feb. 16, 2018. 

Teams then advanced to a regional round, which was held Feb. 23 at Northwestern University Pitzker Law School. This was the University of Arkansas' first year to participate in this competition, and the rookie team faced opposition from the Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, Fordham University School of Law, Indiana University Michael Maurer School of Law, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Marquette University Law School, Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law, University of Mississippi School of Law, University of Notre Dame Law School and West Virginia University College of Law to proceed to the final round.

National Appellate Advocacy Competition

The American Bar Association Law Student Division National Appellate Advocacy Competition emphasizes the development of oral advocacy skills through a realistic appellate advocacy experience. Competitors participate in a hypothetical appeal to the United States Supreme Court. The competition involves writing a brief as either respondent or petitioner and then arguing the case in front of the mock court.

Two University of Arkansas teams competed in a regional round, which was held Feb. 23-25 in New York City. At the regional meet,the team of Jessica Guarino, Weston Hinson and Lacey Johnson (on brief) advanced to the semi-finals, Sapp won a best advocate award and Johns, Sapp and Hosp bested 28 other teams to advance to the national finals.