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Office of External Communications |
Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax: 713.743.8199 |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact: Angie Joe |
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Victory Marks Second Major Championship This Year for UHLC HOUSTON, April 5, 2006 – Three students from the University of Houston Law Center have claimed the school’s second major championship of 2006, winning the Judge John R. Brown Admiralty Law Competition. The winning team of Charlie Lestage, Howard Marshall and Jim Nye earned top honors in the moot court competition that included teams from 13 schools. The contest was hosted in downtown Houston and featured teams from two Houston schools in the championship round: the UH Law Center and South Texas College of Law. Sponsored by the University of Texas, the Judge John R. Brown Admiralty Law Competition is held each year in a different city. Tulane University had been scheduled to host the 2006 competition, but lingering damage from Hurricane Katrina prompted tournament officials to seek a new host school and city. When the UH Law Center offered to serve as co-sponsor, the prestigious tournament was moved to the federal court in downtown Houston. “Being selected to host this tournament was a credit to our school, our city and the maritime traditions of our port. Winning the title simply added a little more wind to the sail,” said UH Law Center Adjunct Professor Gus Schill. The winning UH Law Center team also added a second national title – “Best Brief” – and Jim Nye was named “Best Speaker” of the championship round. A second team of three UH Law Center students – Paxton Crew, Victor Leung and Shaden Yousef – reached the semifinals of the competition. Both teams were coached by Schill and UH Law Center Professor Tobi Tabor; four UH Law Center alums (Matt Kita, Bree Perrin, Carlyn Burton, Chad Newton); and UT alum Becca Jackson. The Judge John R. Brown victory is the third major title earned by the UH Law Center. In January 2006, a team from the UH Law Center won an international mediation title in a competition sponsored by the ICC in Paris, France. In 2004, a team from the UH Law Center won the National Trial Competition. Moot court competitions simulate actual court proceedings at the
appellate level. Participants in the Judge John R. Brown competition
received a set of hypothetical facts involving elements of maritime
law, then wrote briefs and argued the “case” before
judges. More information on the competition is available from the
tournament sponsor at http://www.utexas.edu/law/academics/advocacy/admiralty/. For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom. |
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