A team of three law students from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall) won the National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition, besting teams representing 53 law schools from across the United States. The Competition, which is run by Pace Law School and is co-sponsored by the Environmental Law Institute and Texaco, Inc., was held February 22-24 on the Pace Campus. 

The Competition tests the oral and written advocacy skills of law students in appellate court litigation. Prior to the oral rounds of the Competition, student teams prepared written briefs on a hypothetical case involving an environmental violation. During the oral rounds, each team defended its position before a panel of judges. The team with the highest combined scores for both the oral argument and written briefs is the winner. Environmental law practitioners grade the briefs and judge the oral rounds. 

The Boalt Hall team achieved the highest combined score in the written and oral phases of the Competition. Team members Ed Balsamo, Jeff Brax, and Patrick Doherty faced off in the Final Round against teams from the University of Michigan and Lewis & Clark law schools.  The three Final Round teams argued their case before a distinguished panel of justices:  the Honorable Renato Martins Mimessi, Chief Justice, Rondônia Court of Appeals, Brazil, the Honorable Scott C. Fulton, Judge of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the Honorable Fortunato Benavides, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. 

The Yale Law School team of David A. Grossman, Colin O'Brien, Diane McGuire, won the David Sive Award for Best Brief Overall, an award named in honor of the pioneering environmental law attorney and Pace law professor who founded the New York City law firm Sive Paget & Reisel.   The Yale team received their award at the opening reception of the Competition held at Texaco headquarters in Purchase, New York.  Other award winners:

BEST ORALIST
Craig Welling
University of Colorado at Boulder

BEST BRIEF - APPELLANT (Counsel for Friends of the Lustra)
Louisiana State University School of Law

BEST BRIEF - APPELLANT (Counsel for State of Rocky Mountain)
University of Michigan School of Law

BEST BRIEF - APPELLEE (Counsel for Magma Mining Company) 
University of Texas School of Law

"The National Environmental Moot Court Competition conducted by Pace Law School is a world-class event that draws the finest student advocates from around the country to our campus to grapple with very real environmental issues before discerning judges," said Pace law Professor Ann Powers, faculty advisor to the competition. "It is an educational experience for all involved, and we are proud to sponsor it."