One of St. Mary’s University School of Law’s moot court teams earned the national title on April 1 in the Federal Bar Association Thurgood A. Marshall Memorial Moot Court Tournament for the third straight year.

The External Advocacy Program (EAP) moot court team of third-year law student Stephanie De Sola and second-year law student William “Billy” Calve traveled to Washington, D.C., where they defeated 38 teams from across the nation at the 2016 FBA Moot Court Tournament. Competing in the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, De Sola and Calve bested the University of California, Berkeley in the finals round.

The team was one of three from St. Mary’s to reach the national competition.

De Sola also earned recognition as the Best Speaker in the finals round and won Best Brief.

Adjunct faculty member and coach Ricky J. Poole (J.D. ’90) thanked De Sola and Calve “for bringing this national championship cup back to St. Mary’s, where it rightfully belongs.”

This win marked St. Mary’s fifth national championship in the competition during the past 13 years.

“Their performance in the finals round was nearly flawless, and serves as a testament to their hard work, immense natural talent and dedication to advocacy,” Poole said.

Back to top