A team of English judges selected Patterson and Stewart for the competition after evaluating a legal brief they submitted. Only four U.S. teams were chosen to compete.
The UofL pair will face off against law students from around the world.
The contest will be different from what law students have done in the past because they will be making legal arguments in a hypothetical country and will follow protocols closely aligned with the English legal system, said UofL law professor John Cross, who is coaching the team.
We needed to teach the students to remember to say ‘my lord’ when addressing the judge, said Cross. But they don’t have to wear wigs or anything like that – thank goodness.
Patterson, who is UofL’s moot court board president, said her role in the competition has already helped her hone her legal skills.
As a result of my exposure to international intellectual property law, my understanding of domestic intellectual property law has increased substantially, she said. Being able to look beyond U.S. law will become increasingly important as companies across the globe do business with one another.
UofL law students participate in moot court competitions as an extracurricular activity to help them practice their legal skills in real-world situations.
Last year’s immigration law team won a national championship at New York University, placing first out of 16 teams from around the country.