2008 National Environmental Moot Court Champions
Environmental law moot court victors Liz Crosson, Bethany Cotton, and Diana Fedoroff with Abigail Jones, February 2008
For the fifth time in 15 years, Lewis & Clark's National Environmental Moot Court team swept to the national championship at Pace Law School. This year's team, third-year students Bethany Cotton, Liz Crosson and Diana Fedoroff, triumphed over 69 other teams, defeating Boston College and Thomas Cooley in the quarterfinals, U.C. Hastings and Washington University of St. Louis in the semifinals, and Georgetown and the University of Hawaii in the finals.
Pace has video of the event. Our first advocate, Diana Fedoroff began her presentation at 54:08, and Bethany Cotton began hers at 1:08:52.
The four-judge panel in the finals included Judge Robert S. Smith of the New York Court of Appeals, Judge Stefan R. Underhill of the U.S. District Court in Connecticut, Judge Anna L Wolgast of EPA's Environmental Appeals Board, and Judge Susan L. Biro, EPA's Chief Administrative Law Judge.
Coaches Craig Johnston and Allison LaPlante credit the team members' enthusiasm and hard work for this record-breaking result. They also thank Don Large, last fall's co-coach, and the many faculty, alumni and community members who judged practice rounds, including Dan Mensher, Melissa Powers, Bill Funk, Susan Mandiberg, Dean Robert Klonoff, Jan Neuman, Joe Miller, Steve Johansen, John Parry, Jeff Jones, Julie Weis, Paul Conable, Stephen Feldman, Chris Len, and Peggy Crane (of Perkins Coie), and Judges Susan P. Graber and Diarmuid F. O'Scannlain of the Ninth Circuit, who judged the team’s final practice round.
This championship team joins four other Lewis & Clark teams in the past 15 years that have won the competition, a remarkable record considering that the team with the next-highest championship record has won twice. As coach Craig Johnston said, "This is the tenth time that we have had the honor of making it to the finals (meaning that we finished in the top three). All of the members of our past teams have, over time, set a standard of excellence that I know Liz, Bethany and Diana aspired to live up to, just as their example will inspire those to come."
Here's a brief snapshot of Lewis & Clark's accomplishments in the national competition. Over the past 15 years, Lewis & Clark teams have:
- Advanced to the quarterfinals 14 times
- Won the quarterfinal round 12 times
- Won the semifinal round nine times
- Won five national championships