Dispute Resolution Board Sweeps Moot Event in Miami

Left to right: Student coach Joseph Kim, Pedro Jimenez Lopez, Taylor Simonds, Jessica Zelitt, Sierra DeMartino.

For the fifth year in a row, Stetson Law’s Dispute Resolution Board won the Florida Bar International Law Section’s Richard DeWitt Memorial Vis Pre-Moot in Miami over the weekend of Feb. 18.

The team did so well, you could even call it a sweep. They took first place overall and team member Taylor Simonds won the award for Best Oralist. In the 17 years the Florida Bar International Law Section has sponsored this competition, Stetson Law has won the competition 13 times; the school has won Best Oralist eight times.

The team, from left to right: Jessica Zelitt, Professor Stephanie Vaughan, Taylor Simonds, Sierra DeMartino, Professor Joe Morrissey, Pedro Jimenez Lopez, Ben Lazarus, Student Coach Joseph Kim and Mario Makram

Though the event had “Florida” in its name, it’s really an international event, with teams from Hong Kong, Brazil, India, Germany, China, Canada competing with teams from throughout the United States.

The team consisted of student coach Joseph Kim and team members Pedro Jimenez Lopez, Sierra DeMartino, Mario Makram, Ben Lazarus, Jessica Zelitt, and Taylor Simonds. All team members were competing for Stetson Law for the first time, which makes their victory all the more remarkable.

Stephanie Vaughan is Stetson's new associate dean for student engagement.
Professor Stephanie Vaughan

Coach Matt Ceriale, along with Professors Stephanie Vaughan, and Joe Morrissey, spent many hours coaching and mentoring these students, offering feedback, guiding them through the memorandum-writing process, and preparing them for the competition.

“Given the countless hours these students dedicated to learning and practicing, it’s no wonder they were so successful,” Vaughan said. “I’m very excited for and proud of them and look forward to even more victories in the future.”

The event will help get the team ready for the 29th annual Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot and the 19th Vis East Moot, which are both major competitions in which Stetson Law students will face off against hundreds of teams from around the globe. While they normally take place in Vienna and Hong Kong respectively, the teams will be competing virtually.

“These competitions are enormous events on the world stage,” said Professor Kristen Adams, director of the Dispute Resolution Board. “We look forward to cheering the team on for ‘the big show’ in a few short weeks.”

Post date: Feb. 21, 2022

Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
[email protected] | 727-430-1580
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