KU moot court duo earns spot in national competition

Ashley Golledge

LAWRENCE – A pair of University of Kansas School of Law students will head to New York City after advancing to the national finals of the moot court competition. 

Chris Carey and Maria Drouhard — both third-year law students at KU — defeated multiple teams, including teams from the University of Oklahoma and the University of Nebraska, and made it to the final round of the regional competition last weekend in St. Louis. Carey was awarded best oral advocate. Carey and Drouhard will represent KU at the 69th annual National Moot Court Competition Jan. 28-31, 2019, in New York.

“We spent weeks preparing for the regional competition, and it really paid off this weekend,” Carey said. “In the elimination rounds especially, we were prepared for every question the judges threw our way thanks to our rigorous practice rounds with Professor Keller and other faculty members." 

Moot court is a competition in which individuals write an appellate brief and give a mock argument before a panel of judges acting as the United States Supreme Court. The KU Law moot court program is ranked among the top 30 moot court programs in the country.  

“Maria and Chris transitioned smoothly between answering questions and making their arguments,” said team coach Pamela Keller, clinical professor of law and director of KU’s Moot Court Program. “They will be extremely competitive in the national finals at the New York City Bar, but more importantly, they have shown they will be skilled oral advocates in law practice. We're very proud of their performance.” 

More than 120 schools compete each year in the National Moot Court Competition. The competition, which is sponsored by the American College of Trial Lawyers and the New York City Bar, is one of most historic and prestigious moot court tournaments in the nation. 

“We are so excited to be moving on to the national competition,” Drouhard said. “We couldn’t have made it this far without the guidance and support of Professor Keller and the faculty and alumni who made sure we were prepared. Their support and confidence really helped me believe we could do well.”  

Carey is from Westwood Hills. He is the son of Laura and Richard Carey. Drouhard is from Green Bay, Wisconsin. She is the daughter of Mary and Rodney Buchholz.