KU team to compete at national bankruptcy moot court competition
LAWRENCE – Two University of Kansas School of Law students will compete at the 30th Annual Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition in New York City later this month.
Second-year law students Katelyn Girod and Helen Phillips impressed judges at the regional rounds of the 2022 American College of Bankruptcy and American Bankruptcy Institute - Seventh Circuit Moot Court Event. Teams practice for the national rounds during the regional contest. They also have a chance to get feedback on their performance from prominent bankruptcy practitioners and several bankruptcy judges. The KU duo received high praise, advancing to the final rounds during the regional competition.
Girod and Phillips received the problem for the moot court competition in December 2021 and went to work with the guidance of Stephen Ware, law professor and moot court coach.
“Once we submitted our brief, Professor Ware met with us and had us articulate the strongest arguments for the petitioner. It was not what I was expecting in that initial debrief meeting; I thought we would discuss the arguments we made in the brief and get his feedback,” Phillips said. “But it helped orient me to the weak spots in my research and gave us an opportunity to reason through different policy arguments.”
Ware has been coaching bankruptcy moot court teams at KU Law for nearly 20 years. KU Law's moot court program is ranked 13th in the country and has placed in the top 30 nationally for the past six years.
Ware acknowledged the entire Moot Court Council for helping this team prepare for competition and has lined up practices with attorneys in Kansas City to continue challenging the duo.
“Kat and Helen excel because they combine natural talent with good old-fashioned hard work. They both work hard in the bankruptcy course this semester, as well as in learning the moot court problem to write their brief and practice oral argument,” Ware said. “They showed the full array of advocacy skills as they advanced to the finals of the regional competition.”
Girod said she and Phillips share a mutual respect after hours of preparation for the competition.
“Helen set a positive and supportive tone for our team from the beginning,” Girod said. “I definitely lucked out with a great teammate.”
At the national competition, Phillips and Girod will argue in preliminary rounds on alternating sides, with bankruptcy attorneys judging the rounds.
Read this article on the KU News website.
Photo: Katelyn Girod and Helen Phillips will represent KU Law at the 30th Annual Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition.