Congratulations to the Participants in the Gunn Appellate Practice First-Year Appellate Advocacy Competition!

Congratulations to the participants in, and the winners of, the Spring 2024 Gunn Appellate Practice First-Year Appellate Advocacy Competition. This semester’s competition was split over two nights (Tuesday and Wednesday), and the competition was held on Zoom.

Please join me in congratulating all the students on their hard work and extraordinary performances.

Best Oralist:                    

Tuesday:            Ashley Taylor
Wednesday:      Frank Giallourakis

Runner-up Best Oralist:

Tuesday:             Grayson Ferber
Wednesday:      Tiffany Maziarz

Third Place:

Tuesday:             Paige Lies
Wednesday:      Megan Leiter

Participants and Round Winners:

Tuesday:

  • Round 1:  Deanna Gambino (round winner) v. Paige Robertson
  • Round 2:  Asa Guydo (round winner) v. Logan West
  • Round 3:  Grayson Ferber v. Ashley Taylor (round winner)
  • Round 4:  Grace Buckhorn v. Paige Lies (round winner)

Wednesday:

  • Round 1:  Corinne Rose v. Belle Yeager (round winner)
  • Round 2:  Madison Goff (round winner) v. Amber Melendez
  • Round 3:  Frank Giallourakis (round winner) v. Avery Smith
  • Round 4:  Christopher Hewlett v. Megan Leiter (round winner)
  • Round 5:  Valeriya Gilmutdinova v. Tiffany Maziarz (round winner)

The First-Year Appellate Advocacy Competition has been an R&W II tradition for close to 25 years, if not more, and this spring’s competition would not have been possible without the support of our competition sponsor, Tracy Gunn.  Tracy is a 1993 graduate of the College of Law, is a member of our Board of Overseers, and has an appellate practice firm in Tampa.

A special thanks goes to the judges who shared their time and expertise with the students. On Tuesday evening, a special thanks to Evan Dix (chief judge), Tiffani Thornton, and Christina Burroughs Wrenn. And on Wednesday evening, a special thanks to Kasey Feltner (chief judge), Christopher Gieger, and Christopher Pate.

And after the rounds, the judges spent time providing feedback and advice, but bottom line, the judges were very impressed. They were impressed for three reasons: First, the judges were so impressed with the students’ preparation and their knowledge of the law and the facts. Second,  the judges—both nights—could not believe that the participants were first-year students who just finished exams on Monday. And third, the judges were impressed with how the students took advantage of an opportunity to continue to develop their advocacy skills.

Congratulations, everyone!
Professor Bowman

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