After the closing gavel of DePaul’s fifth annual Hon. William J. Bauer Moot Court Competition, the Appellate Moot Court Society announced its newest members for the upcoming spring moot court competition season.The competition was held at the Everett M. Dirksen Federal Courthouse, which houses the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois as well as the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Open only to DePaul’s upper-level students, the intramural competition functions as an audition for membership in DePaul’s Appellate Moot Court Society. This academic honor allows students to represent the law school in national competitions throughout the country.
“Not only is the competition a great tradition made possible by one of our most accomplished alumni, but it also allows participants to put their skills to work and exhibit their talents when it comes to written and oral advocacy at the appellate level,” said John O’Donnell, the society’s vice president in charge of recruitment and the administrator of this year’s competition. “We were really impressed with everyone’s performance, and we are excited to have been able to add a diverse and talented group of individuals to our team, which should help make for a successful spring.”
The society’s newest second- and third-year student members are:
- Tim Bingham
- John Dark
- Rachel Dickson
- Evan Finneke
- Timothy Furman
- Brad Jarka
- Elizabeth Kiggins
- Peggy Liu
- Jaclyn McCaffery
- Zachary Peasall
- Philipp Ruben
- James Snodgrass
- Catherine Van Duys
- Margaret Walsh
- Cherrisse Woods
- Matthew Zuziak
Cherrise Woods and Zachary Peasall emerged victorious over John Dark and James Snodgrass in the final round, which was paneled by Judge William J. Bauer (LLB '52), Judge Warren Wolfson and Interim Dean Bruce Ottley. Best Brief and Best Oralist awards were given to Brad Jarka and Tim Bingham respectively.
"We were able to add some fantastic talent to our team this year, and none of that would have been possible without John’s [O'Donnell] hard work," said Kevin Sheehan, the society’s 2014-15 president. "Carrying on this tradition is a huge responsibility, and he did an amazing job."