Moot Court Rocks! CSU|LAW Hosts Moot Court Competition

By Managing Editor: Joshua Brown

“Music is not just content, it is labor, identity, and livelihood.” - Dr. Angelin Chang ‘08

Cleveland is the city of Rock and Roll, so what could be more CSU|LAW than hosting a rock and roll themed moot court competition? January 16, 2026, opened the first ever CSU|LAW Rock and Roll Moot Court Festival. Teams from across the country arrived on the snowy winter morning with padfolios and musical puns for team names. CSU|LAW has previously hosted the regional round of the NYC Bar Association National Moot Court Competition, but for this year and after, our Moot Court program decided to build from the ground up.

This competition is uniquely Cleveland, in a way that promotes pride in our school and our city as a whole. From vinyl record-shaped award trophies to the themed photo backdrop and 60’s paisley patterns everywhere, this competition oozed personality.

CSU|LAW had two teams competing as well. Michael Cannavino and Ivan Conard made up a team of 3Ls. The other team featured two JDO students, Carly Morgan and Meghan Norcross. The non-competing Moot Court members, served as the “crew” guiding competitors and judges or sitting as bailiffs during the arguments. This gave team members an inside look into how competitions function and gave live examples of how to perform oral arguments.

The competition ran smoothly thanks to the leadership of Moot Court Chair Serena Sammarone and Vice Chairs, Annaliese Nunes and Anna Egensperger. Advisors, Kyle Hutnik ‘16 and Billy Killmeyer ‘20 also helped to organize and oversee the competition. The music themed problem was written by former Moot Court Chair Grayson Sieg ‘15.

The first day of the competition consisted of three rounds. Teams presented oral arguments in front of local attorneys who served as volunteer judges. The night ended with a reception and awards ceremony at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including remarks from CSU|LAW alum and Grammy Award winning pianist, Angelin Chang. Teams and individuals received awards such as Best Brief, Best Advocate, and Best Team Name.

The second day involved knock-out rounds where teams competed to reach the final round. The final round took place in the Moot Court Room with the Honorable Justice Melody J. Stewart ‘88, Justice Michael P. Donnelly ‘91, and Intellectual Property Attorney Ross Kowalski as judges. In the end, Dusquesne University Thomas R. Kline School of Law emerged victorious in the final round over Southern Illinois University Simmons School of Law.

The two-day event received rave reviews, with multiple competitors and volunteer judges acknowledging the unique character of the competition. Many said that they had never before seen a competition like this one and that this competition was more fun than any other. The Moot Court Team is excited to carry this competition into the future as an annual celebration of the CSU|LAW Moot Court program and the Rock and Roll legacy of Cleveland.

Through the rest of this semester, CSU|Law’s moot court team will be sending members to competitions across the country. Right now, team members are honing their speaking and advocacy skills to succeed in their competitions, but also to train themselves into better attorneys after they graduate. If that sounds exciting to you, consider trying out for a spot on the team later in the semester.

Look forward to attending Moot Court Night on Monday, February 23 at 6PM in the Moot Court Room where you can learn more about the team and how you can join us next year.