National Semifinalists: ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition

Second-year students Divya Kishore (second from left) and Anna Grace Rogers (second from right) finished as semifinalists at the American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Competition. The duo’s brief won fourth place and Kishore was named the fifth best oralist. Second-year students Kate Branch (left) and Lisa Calvert also participated and advanced to the national tier of the tournament. Third-year students Kero Gadelrab, Taylor Hoying and Casey Smith served as student coaches and Holly Pierson (J.D.’96) was the alumni coach.

Champions: Intrastate Moot Court Competition

The annual Intrastate Moot Court Competition featured an all-Law Dawg final this year. The team of (l. to r.) second-year student Kennedy Nuckles, third-year student Joshua Moran and second-year student Mya O’Berry won the championship, with second-year students Caleb Smith, Ana Hernandez Lozano and Kemper Higgins finishing as finalists. Smith was named the tournament’s best oralist. Director of Advocacy Kellie Casey (J.D.’90) and Adjunct Professor Cole Harper (J.D.’22) coached the teams along with third-year students Avery Hill and Charlotte Umanoff.

Regional Champions: National Moot Court Competition

Third-year students (l. to r.) Antavious McCarden, Taylor Hoying and Liz Burns won their regional in the National Moot Court Competition and advanced to the national tier of the tournament held in New York. Burns was named the best oralist for both the final round and the preliminary round of the regional competition. The team was coached by Adjunct Professor Cole Harper (J.D.’22) and 2025 alumna Casey Wofford. The National Moot Court Competition, which is co-sponsored by the American College of Trial Lawyers and the New York City Bar Association, annually features more than 1,000 students from more than 150 accredited law schools.

Champions: Hulsey/Gambrell Moot Court Competition

The annual Florida/Georgia-Hulsey/Gambrell Moot Court Competition pits law students from UGA and the University of Florida against each other in the courtroom. Third-year students Frank Easterlin and Grace Johnson, who were coached by Director of Advocacy Kellie Casey (J.D.’90) and Adjunct Professor Cole Harper (J.D.’22), won the competition. Their victory brought the School of Law’s all-time record in this event to 29-12-2.

UGA Law captures prestigious Scribes award

Class of 2025 alumnae (l. to r.) Mona Abboud, Casey Wofford and Taylor Stablein were awarded the Scribes – the American Society of Legal Writers – 2025 Best Brief-Writing Award for their brief submitted at the 2024–25 National Moot Court Competition, Region VI. This honor marks only the second time that UGA students have won this prestigious writing award presented to the best student brief from the previous academic year’s competition. Notably, the trio finished the National Moot Court Competition as national semifinalists.