AR
Alexander Revell
  • Law
  • Augusta, GA

Alexander Revell and Georgia State Law Team Sweeps the Intrastate Moot Court Competition

2015 Apr 14

Alexander Revell of Augusta, and fellow Georgia State University College of Law students captured the top positions at the Intrastate Moot Court Competition on March 27-28. The annual competition has a rich history rooted in rivalry, as two teams from each of Georgia's six law schools, Emory University, University of Georgia, Mercer University, Georgia State University, John Marshall Law School and Savannah Law School, compete against one another.

After winning the semi-finals against the teams for the University of Georgia School of Law, both teams from Georgia State Law competed in the final. The Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia sponsors the annual competition.

"Hearing both teams' names called was completely surreal," said Alan Long (J.D. '16). "From the beginning, we were essentially one team with one mission: have an all Georgia State final. At that point, it felt like we had already won."

Long, Clynton Namuo (J.D. '16) and Dixon Revell (J.D. '16), coached by Edgar Neely (J.D. '15), won the tournament - the first time a Georgia State Law team has done so since 2005.

"It was surreal because they are our friends, our colleagues and some of the most ferocious competitors we know," Namuo said. "Ultimately it was a great experience because we entered the final round knowing that no matter who won, we would be celebrating together."

Though they had scrimmaged against each other before, the number of judges, quality of questions, audience and pressure made it a completely different experience for the teams.

"This year, we cemented our school as the force to be reckoned with, not just by winning the competition and repeating our Best Brief performance, but by sending both Georgia State Law teams to the final round," Neely said. "There's a new sheriff in town at Intrastate. All Blue. All In. All GSU Final."

According to Steven Campbell (J.D. '16), the teams' head-to-head practices were critical to their success. "Team B consistently raised the bar, and we (Team A) had to work hard to keep up. Both teams really pushed each other to do better. Our arguments rarely ended when practice was over because every person really believed that his position was correct," he said.

Brea Croteau (J.D. '16), Mary Emily Hearons (J.D. '16), and Campbell, coached by Wayne Satterfield (J.D. '15), were the runner-ups and took home Best Brief.

"Edgar and Wayne had been telling us all year that it was going to be an all Georgia State final, but we didn't believe it would happen until they finally called our names," Croteau said. "It took a lot of the pressure off, but at the same time made us want to work even harder to win because of the friendly competition between our teams."

The teams put on such a strong performance, one of the judges tweeted that it was a privilege to judge the final round.

"We worked so hard and sacrificed so much over the past semester to get to the final round, so it was really an honor to see the judge recognize that," Croteau said.

"The students put forth an enormous amount of time and effort into the competition, and both teams were extremely happy to see their hard work pay off," Satterfield said. "They embody the talent and hard work that Georgia State Law cultivates. This 'all-Georgia State' final really puts into perspective the positive momentum of Georgia State Law."

Last year, Georgia State Law received the Best Brief and Best Oralist awards.