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Show THE DA ILY ' " !s ....V CHRONICLE UTAH - v lJ lM '.,.: ' v f Ij College of Law Challenges Students in Moot C ourt LAURA BiSSETT WEISS Chronicle Feature Writer Lex Luthor is "prowling the streets of Metropolis and talking on his cell phone. During the course of his phone conversation, he discloses details of several criminal acts that he anticipates committing. Yet Super- man. does not. swoop down from behind a building and apprehend his Instead, an anonymous individual has wiretapped Luthor's conversation and delivers a copy of it to the steps of city's largest newspaper, The Daily Planet. Although Luthor did not come marching through the doors of the University of Utah College of Law and demand representation, the case is now resting in the hands of 77 U law students, all participating in the annual Traynor Moot Court Competition. g This year's case centers on its constitutionality and its penalties. In the n Lex fictional case, a transcript of Luthor's incriminating and surreptitiously-tape- d conversation has been printed in The Planet. Luthor is now appealing to the Daily Metropolis Supreme Court to challenge the freedom of the press. Although the characters and newspaper are borrowed from the pages of a comic book, the case is pragmatically grounded. The United States Supreme Court actually heard a series cf similar cases last December and will issue its ruling later this year. Chad Derurn and Dave Mull, two second- arch-nemesi- wire-tappin- super-villai- . s. year law students at the U, are competing in this year's Moot Court competition. All second-year students are invited to compete, and Derum and Mull take the challenge seriously. "I remember spending an incredible number of hours on the brief alone," Derum says. Since August, Derum, Mull and 38 other teams have been diligently working toward the competition. Thestudents take a class one semester and write their briefs, which are written arguments of their assigned positions. The briefs are due the first day of the next semester. A month later the students present their oral arguments to a panel of volunteer justices in an actual court setting. On a breezy February afternoon, Derum and Mull stand in an empty College of Law foyer. While most students eagerly remove themselves from anything related to learning at 5 p.m. on a Friday, Derum and Mull are about to engage in a demanding practice session for their next round of preliminary competition. Their coach, David Hall, was a member the U's National Moot Court Team last year. Hail and teammates Sharrieff Shah and Richard Fields placed first in last year's Traynor Moot Court Competition, and continued their success at the regional competition. Last year in Colorado, the three students surpassed 15 other teams to. qualify for the final round of regionals. For three consecutive years, the U's team has captured first place in region, and has also garnered the Regional Best Oralist Award. S',-- V ' . law student James Ruble takes notes during the Traynor Moot Court Competition. "There was a lot of pressure," Shah said. "I hate to lose." Face to face with three Brigham Young University law school students in the final round, Hall, Shah and Fields triumphed. They placed first in the region and secured an invitation to the National Moot Court Competition held in New York City. . The three flew to New York City in January and competed against 167 teams from across the nation. After 17 rounds of competition, Hall, Shah and Fields remained undefeated. They made it to the sweet-1- 6 final round, further than any other' U College of law team in history.".: Tonight, HU can relax sort of. IWil has signed on to help. this' year's teams prepare for anything the justices may throw their way, He leads Mull and Derum down the hall from the College of Law foyer to a classroom to rehearse. On the way, Derum 'and. Mull speculate about the competition on Tuesday. This next round is going to be tougher than our last two," says Derum, carrying a pile of papftrs in one hand and a bottle of water in the other., . " "For this one we are which means we have to argue the other side, the side we did not write our brief for." " Mull nods in agreement as they walk through the classroom door. The two put their papers down on a table in front. Proceeding to the back of the room, Hall takes on the manner of a coach. He pulls back a chair and fails into it, pushing his long legs beneath the desk. "All tight," he says, "let's - . "t ; off-brie- f, shoulders are back and his head is up. He appears as though he were standing before the Supreme Court. Students are allowed 12 minutes each to present their oral arguments. This includes time spent answering probing questions from justices. During Derurn's practice presentation, Hall plays the role of justice and frequently interWhile answering each question, rupts. Derum makes direct, sustained eye contact with Hall. This is vital to sending the right message about his arguments. 'The justices push you. They want to see how far you go before they can break your composure," notes Mull, after the two-hopractice round. "The most important skill in answering questions is to reinforce the theme ' of your argument." Derum and Mull are experienced in both public speaking and debate. When it is Mull's turn to present, he puts on his game face. His voice is compelling and echoes through the ur ' room. Five days later, Mull and Derum are ready for competition. They enter the Sutherland Moot Courtroom in dark suits. Derum carries a brown leather briefcase that he places on the desk in front of hirn. With his thumbs, he d locks outward and pushes the the briefcase pops open. The competition has begun. The bailiffs, played by first-yelaw students, bring the court to order with a rousing courtroom tradition, chanting, "Oyea! Gyea! goid-coiore- ar Oyea!" begin." Four U law students discuss the finer points of their ficticious comic bock-inspir- CHRONICLE FEATURE EDITOR ed tri?!. JAMES GARDNER Derum rises and walks to the podium. His J.GARDNERCHRONICLE.UTAH.EDU see MOOT COURT, page 8 581-704- 1 |