Beyond the Classroom: University of Arizona Law 2025–26 Legal Skills Competition Highlights and Achievements
Each year, students at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law compete in local, regional and national moot court and mock trial competitions, giving them the opportunity to put their advocacy skills to the test beyond the classroom. Check out the highlights from this year’s competitions.
ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition
Two Arizona Law teams competed before spring break in the Chicago regional of the American Bar Association (ABA) National Appellate Advocacy Competition. The team of Alyssa Keene (3L), Grace Schroder (3L), and Trey Wagnon (3L) advanced to the semifinal round and won a fourth-place brief in the region; they lost by one point in the semifinals but delivered four rounds of excellent argument, each receiving high oral argument scores. The team of Anson Naumann (3L), Kaz Walls (3L), and Zaynah Craven (2L) narrowly missed advancing and received very strong scores. Most of all, the teams demonstrated the kind of collaborative collegiality that distinguishes Arizona Law students, conducting themselves with the highest level of civility and professionalism. Once again, the team was coached by Professor Susie Salmon.
Administered by the American Bar Association’s Law Student Division, the National Appellate Advocacy Competition is one of the most competitive moot court competitions in the country, drawing almost 200 teams from across the country who compete in six regional oral argument rounds. Teams draft briefs and present oral arguments in a simulated case before the United States Supreme Court.
Barry Davis National Trial Team
The National Trial Competition regional competition is sponsored by the American College of Trial Lawyers and the Texas Young Lawyers Association and is the most prestigious trial competition in the country. Arizona’s “Barry Davis Team” gets its name from legendary local trial attorney Barry Davis, who was a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers. They are coached by Brian Chase (’11) and Travis McGivern.
The Barry Davis Team competed in the All-Star Bracket in the fFall, where Sarah Avila (3L) won a top-attorney award. In the spring, the team traveled to Sacramento to compete in the National Trial Competition, hosted this year by McGeorge Law School. While the team did not advance to the Nationals, they performed strongly. In one trial, they lost by only 3 points, out of 300 possible, to UC Berkeley, the team that ended up winning the Regional. Next year, the University of Arizona host the National Trial Competition here in Tucson.
Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition (NELMCC)
The Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition (NELMCC) is one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious interschool moot court competitions devoted entirely to environmental law. Hosted annually by the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University on its Westchester campus in White Plains, New York, the three-day event tests law students’ appellate brief writing and oral advocacy skills using complex, real-world environmental litigation issues. Distinct from traditional two-party moots, NELMCC requires three adverse teams to argue simultaneously. This format mirrors real-world environmental litigation, where disputes typically involve the government, a public interest group, and a regulated industry member
This year, Sam Berghoff (2L), Mary Glen Hatcher (2L) and Joel Robinson (2L) represented the University of Arizona at the Competition. The team was one of nine teams, out of 54, that advanced to the semi-finals. Sam Berghoff was named best oralist in the final preliminary round.
Joseph Jenckes Competition
The annual Joseph Jenckes Competition is a closing arguments competition between students from the University of Arizona and Arizona State University (ASU). Each law school selects two students as their team. This year, the competition was held at the University of Arizona in November. Ella Spoor (3L) and Lauren Romaguera (2L) successfully represented Arizona Law and defeated the competition.
The judges of the competition are the Arizona members of the American College of Trial Lawyers, an honorary society of trial lawyers whose membership is limited to 1% of the practicing bar. Being selected to membership is a significant honor, and the College’s membership includes the most prominent trial lawyers in Arizona.
The Joseph Jenckes Competition has been held for over 50 years. It is sponsored by the American College of Trial Lawyers and is held every year at one of the two Arizona law schools.
Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition
Jessup is the world’s largest moot court competition, fielding teams from over 700 schools across the globe. Teams of law students prepare memorials and present arguments before a simulated International Court of Justice, addressing contemporary issues of public international law relating to a fictionalized dispute between nations. This year the competition held its inaugural unified U.S. National Rounds in Atlanta, Georgia, from March 4–8, 2026a. This landmark event brought together 92 teams for the largest in-person U.S. competition. Arizona’s dedicated team included Jean-Frederic Belaise (3L), Leilani Barbee (2L), Thomas Cromwell (2L), Joe Cappuccilli (2L) and Zach Kauffman (3L).
National Native American Law Students Association Moot Court Competition (NNALSA)
The Indigenous People Law and Policy (IPLP) Program was proud to send and support three teams from Arizona Law to the the NNALSA annual Moot Court Competition in Chicago, Illinois. The competition was in February and was hosted by Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. Allyson LeForce (3L) and Damon Clark (2L); Jacquelyn Francisco (3L) and Breanne Harvey (2L); and Tessa Hanson-Vargas (3L) and Keila Rodriguez (2L) made a strong showing at the competition with excellent legal preparation.
Coached by Professor Pilar Thomas and Professor Heather Whiteman Runs Him, the teams also benefited from the toughest practice rounds on campus during the final weeks of preparation, with truly fantastic volunteer judge panels.
Richard Grand Closing Argument Competition
The Richard Grand Closing Argument Competition is an internal competition established in 1995 by the late Richard Grand (’58), a Tucson-area plaintiffs’ attorney.
He conceived the idea of a competition which would emphasize jury arguments focusing on damages. Four finalists are selected from a preliminary round and then compete in a final round often judged by alumni who have previously won the competition. This year’s finalists included:
1st place ($4,000 prize) — Aiken Umholtz (3L)
2nd place ($3,000 prize) — Kyle Dayton (3L)
3rd place ($2,500 prize) — Ella Spoor (3L)
4th place ($2,000 prize) — Danny Fisher (2L)
Samuel M. Fegtly Moot Court Competition
Founded in 1939 and named for the College of Law’s first dean, the Fegtly Competition is Arizona Law’s oldest moot court tradition. This internal moot-court competition, which recognizes students for their excellent written and oral appellate advocacy, has been funded by alum J. Scott Burns (’76) in honor of his father, F. Britton Burns (’41), since 1985.
This year, Isabella Maraist (2L) earned the Suzanne Rabé Award for Best Brief and Zaynah Craven (2L) received the Excellence in Brief Writing award.
Trey Wagnon (2L) and Zaynah Craven (2L) argued in the final round of the competition. Craven was this year’s F. Britton Burns Award winner as the top oral advocate in the final round, and Wagnon received the Samuel M. Fegtly Award for the highest combined scores in the preliminary rounds
Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition
The Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition is an annual, nationwide tournament focused entirely on U.S. trademark and unfair competition law. Organized by the International Trademark Association (INTA), it challenges law students to write an appellate brief and present oral arguments in a mock courtroom setting. Open to U.S.-accredited law schools. Each school can enter up to two teams consisting of 2 to 4 JD students. The top two teams from each of the six regional brackets advance to the national finals.
This year, Arizona sent Danie Allen (2L), Rosie Boswell (2L), Jared Mars (2L) and Josh Pugmire (2L) to the regional competition held in Los Angeles. The team did so well they advanced to the national final in Washington D.C. The team was coached by Part-time Professor of Practice Michael Curley.