Student Spotlight: Carissa Mulder ’09
Moot Court Showcase Participant
On February 19, I had the privilege of participating in Notre Dame’s 59th Annual Moot Court Showcase Argument. It was an honor to argue before such distinguished members of the bench as The Honorable Jerome A. Holmes, The Honorable Debra A. Livingston, and The Honorable Patrick J. Schiltz. It was also exciting to have my parents—who traveled all the way from Phoenix—in attendance.
The success of the showcase argument exemplifies the support members of the law school community give to each other. (As a preliminary matter, I wouldn’t have joined the Moot Court team if my friend Anna Franzonello hadn’t encouraged me to submit my brief for consideration during our 2L year.) Most of the preparation for the showcase took place in the fall. My co-counsel Charlie Gough and I wrote our brief during September and October. This was the most important part of our preparation.
After we finished our brief, many of the professors from the law school were kind enough to serve as judges for mock arguments. My teammate Kathi Portman spent hours arranging practice arguments. Fortunately for us, the questions asked at the mock arguments closely resembled the questions asked us during the showcase argument.
After the competition in November, I thought little about the showcase argument until the new semester rolled around and I had to re-familiarize myself with my brief and the arguments. The entire team needed to get back on its feet and argue. Again, members of the law school community were very helpful and supportive. Members of next year’s moot court board read our briefs and served as judges for our practice arguments.
Life became hectic during the week leading up to the argument. In addition to practicing for the showcase argument, I had essays to grade for the undergrad class where I serve as a teaching assistant, articles to edit for the Journal of Law, Ethics, and Public Policy, and, of course, there were law classes to prepare for and attend. Ultimately, everything came together.
The argument was difficult, but exhilarating. It was a challenge to respond to questions that had never even occurred to me, and thrilling when the judges would nod after my response. Moot Court will always be a very happy memory.
