Moot Team Achieves a “Double-Double” at Orseck

A group of students and Florida Supreme Court Justices line up for a photo.
Left to right: Justice Ricky Polston, Justice Alan Lawson, Chief Justice Charles T. Canady, Tyler Brown, Hannah Klonowski, Justice John D. Couriel, Justice Jamie R. Grosshans, Justice Carlos G. Muñiz, and Justice Jorge Labargo.

For the second year in a row, a Stetson Law team won the Robert Orseck Memorial Moot Court Competition at The Florida Bar annual conference in Orlando.

Team members Tyler Brown, Thomas Fuhrman, and Hannah Klonowski brought home the win from this prestigious competition—but the triumph doesn’t end with that back-to-back win. Klonowski won the Best Oralist, Preliminary Rounds award and the Best Oralist, Final Round award, repeating fellow student Jessica Merkel’s wins during the 2021 event. Professor Brooke Bowman, Director of the Moot Court Board, coached the students.

The overall competition win and the pair of Best Oralist awards make for a “double-double” at an important event that took place in-person for the first time in three years.

Hosted by the Florida Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division, the competition happens each year as part of The Florida Bar conference. The proximity to so many legal professionals means that actual sitting judges from the circuit courts and the district courts of appeal join with attorneys to judge the preliminary rounds. Teams that advance to the final round get to argue in front of the justices of the Florida Supreme Court—something very few attorneys even have the honor of doing.

It’s an opportunity for students to make connections while sharpening their craft with help from some of Florida’s top lawyers.

Stetson Law’s track record at Orseck has been stellar. Here’s a look at the wins and other successes the college has had in the last 28 years:

  • Seven championship wins;
  • Nineteen appearances in the final round;
  • Six Best Advocate, Final Round awards;
  • Five Best Advocate, Preliminary Rounds awards;
  • Nine Best Brief awards;
  • Two double advocate awards;
  • Two times winning three awards—Best Team; Best Brief; and the Best Oralist, Final Round; and
  • One time winning all four awards—Best Team; Best Brief; Best Oralist, Preliminary Rounds; and Best Oralist, Final Round.

Learn more about Stetson Law’s Moot Court Board.