D'Ortenzio ’22 and Hallowell ’22 win high honors in long-running Admiralty Moot Court Competition
The teammates won third best petitioner’s brief and D’Ortenzio was named third best oral advocate.
The team of Michael D’Ortenzio ’22 and Lewis Hallowell ’22 won third place for best petitioner’s brief and D’Ortenzio placed third for best oral advocate at the 29th annual Judge John R. Brown Admiralty Moot Court Competition, held in Portland, Maine, last weekend.
A record 32 teams competed in the interscholastic appellate advocacy competition that annually attracts law students and maritime lawyers from across the country. It is co-hosted by the University of Texas School of Law and the University of Maine School of Law and named for The Hon. John R. Brown, a prominent admiralty judge who served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from 1955 to 1993.
Admiralty or maritime law is a distinct legal specialty. Hallowell and D’Ortenzio said it was challenging and rewarding to dive into an unfamiliar area of law and write a persuasive brief in the midst of their regular academic and extracurricular obligations. This year’s competition problem involved a pilot injured while disembarking a ship.
“I knew nothing about admiralty law – and didn’t know ships had pilots,” D’Ortenzio noted.
“Moot court competitions force you to go both broad and deep: when writing the brief, you are immersed in the facts and case law, but during oral argument, being able to zoom out and convey the big picture is key.
"A good oral argument is really just an engaging conversation. We faced some great judges and competitors, and those conversations made us better advocates.”
“It was an all-hands-on-deck effort,” Hallowell added. “Our skills complemented one another, and Michael taught me valuable lessons that I will carry forward into my career. The learning experience was worth the effort, but it is incredibly gratifying to have our efforts recognized by the admiralty bar.”
Hallowell and D’Ortenzio invite interested Duke Law students to contact them for tips and information about competing in next year’s tournament, which will be held at Tulane University in New Orleans.
Duke Law students frequently participate in the long-running moot; two years ago, teammates Ali Shan Ali Bhai ’20 and Jack Lucy ’20 won the competition and Ali Bhai was named best oral advocate.