The University of South Carolina School of Law congratulates second-year law students Missi Fredette and Paul Allen for winning the ninth annual Kate Bockman Memorial Moot Court Bar Competition on Oct. 17. The team was selected by presiding South Carolina Court of Appeals Judges John D. Geathers, Thomas E. Huff, and Stephanie P. McDonald.

The judges also selected Fredette as best oralist, while awarding the best brief to second-year student Richard Gergel.

For the first time, students presented their arguments in the school’s new Judge Karen J. Williams Courtroom.

The problem involved the Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial. Fredette and Allen argued as counsel for the petitioner against competitors Gergel and Matthew Mandeville, counsel for the respondent.

This annual competition gives second-year law students the opportunity to enhance their legal writing and oral arguments skills in an appellate advocacy framework. The top scoring students are invited to become members of the Moot Court Bar; the top eight scoring students are bestowed the honor of becoming a member of the Order of Barristers, a national legal honor society. 

The competition is named in memory of Moot Court Bar alumna and member of the Order of the Barristers, Kathryn Anne Bockman.

After the winners were announced, Moot Court Bar Chief Justice Alexa Tattersall inducted the 2018-2019 members of the bar.

Learn more about the Moot Court Bar.

2017-2018 Moot Court Bar Members	2018-2019 Moot Court Bar Members
Sarah Tate Chambers*	Paul Allen*
Chance Cuellar	Daquan Blyther
Quentin Gaddy	George Bryan*
Stephen Griffith	Madison Cevallos
Jonathan Lewis*	Kaitlin Cook
Makenzie Polston	Sarah Deane*
Alex Roll	Missi Fredette*
Ryder Tipton*	Richard Gergel*
Alexander Zuraff*	Matt Jepertinger
	Rachel Lee*
	David Legget
	Matthew Mandeville*
	Ashton Phillips
	Rebekah Spannagel*
	Kathryn Stewart
	Christina Westervelt
	Taylor Yarnal

*Order of the Barristers