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Each fall, the New York Law School Moot Court Association administers the Charles W. Froessel Intramural Moot Court Competition. The Froessel Competition is a rigorous recruiting program used by the New York Law School Moot Court Association to select its members. In addition, the competition provides students with the opportunity to display their advocacy skills.

The 36th Annual Charles W. Froessel Competition will be held during September 19th - 23rd 2012.

For information on entering the competition or serving as a judge, please check the links on the right side of this page .

For information regarding Competitor Registration, please read the FAQ.

Please note that the final round will be held at 2:00pm, Sunday, September 23rd in the Auditorium, Room A014. Everyone is encouraged to attend. Please arrive 15 minutes early, oral arguments will begin promptly at 2:00pm.

2012 Final Round Video

We are pleased and honored to have the following distinguished judges:

THE HONORABLE D. BROOKS SMITH
D. Brooks Smith is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Judge Smith was nominated to the Third Circuit by President George W. Bush on September 10, 2001. Previously, he served as the Chief Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Judge Smith was appointed to that court in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan, where he served until his elevation to the Third Circuit. Judge Smith received a B.A. in Government from Franklin and Marshall College, and a J.D. from Penn State Dickinson School of Law

THE HONORABLE JUSTICE JOSEPH E. IRENAS
Honorable Justice Joseph E. Irenas was appointed by former President George H.W. Bush as a federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey on November 14, 1991 and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 8, 1992. Judge Irenas assumed senior status on July 1, 2002. Prior to serving as a federal judge, he began his career in private practice, working at McCarter & English in Newark from 1966 to 1992. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Rutgers University since 1985. A native of Newark, NJ, Judge Irenas holds a B.A. from Princeton University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School from which he graduated cum laude. He currently resides in New Jersey.

THE HONORABLE DANIEL J. O’DONNELL
Daniel J. O’Donnell is a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly, representing the 69th district in Manhattan. On June 19, 2007, O'Donnell ushered the Marriage Equality Act, a bill that legalized gay marriage in New York State, passing by a vote of 85–61. O'Donnell was also the prime sponsor of the Dignity for All Students Act, New York's anti-bullying law. It was signed into law by Governor Paterson on September 8, 2010, and was one of the first laws in New York history to explicitly include protections based on gender identity and expression. Born in Queens and raised on Long Island, Mr. O’Donnell received his B.A. from George Washington University and a J.D. from CUNY School of Law at Queens College.

THE HONORABLE SAMANTHA K. HARRIS
Samantha K. Harris is the Director of Speech Code Research at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). Before joining FIRE, she clerked for the late Honorable Jay C. Waldman of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and most recently was an associate at the law firm of Pepper Hamilton in Philadelphia. Ms. Harris, a Philadelphia native, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and from Princeton University, where she earned an A.B. magna cum laude in politics.

THE HONORABLE SUSAN J. ABRAHAM
Susan J. Abraham is a professor at New York Law School where she teaches evidence, advanced appellate advocacy, trial skills, and principles of legal analysis, and serves as the Moot Court Faculty Advisor. She has represented indigent criminal defendants in New York and New Jersey at both the trial and appellate level, arguing many times in the intermediate and highest courts, and has also represented clients in disability discrimination, employment, criminal, pension, and other matters. Susan Abraham earned her B.A. in English from Oberlin College in 1977, her J.D. from Rutgers Law School in 1983, and received an M.F.A. in poetry from Warren Wilson College in 1991.

2012 Awards:
Best Preliminary Oralist: Jason Scott
Best Petitioner Brief: Team #25, Garrett Baldwin & Catherine Brunetto
Best Respondent Brief: Team #43, Julie Nociolo
Best Team: Team #1, Lily Ockert and Alex Noble
Best Oralist: Alex Noble

Froessel Co-Chairs
Addya Bhowmick

Cristina Grullon

Froessel Co-Authors
Zach Nathanson

Melissa Zeigler

Follow @NYLSMootCourt

CHARLES W. FROESSEL COMPETITION
September 19th - 23rd 2012
E: Froesselmoot@nyls.edu
T: (212) 431-2100 ext. 4252
F: (212) 966-1558

2012 Froessel Competition

Info Session #1

2012 Fact Pattern

2012 Competition Rules - Updated 8/10

2012 Froessel Judge Registration

2012 Froessel Competitor Registration