The New York Law School Moot Court Association (MCA) has once again demonstrated its strength in appellate advocacy, earning a top achievement at the recent Rock and Roll Moot Court Competition hosted by Cleveland State University College of Law. Competing in Cleveland, new members Samantha Zupko ’27, Thomas Craft ’27, and Daniel McMahon ’27, alongside student coach Angela Cefarello ’26, won the award for Best Overall Brief with a score of 95.4 out of 100 and advanced to the quarterfinals.
The award immediately follows the implementation of a new appellate brief writing training program designed by Professor Ann Schofield Baker ’97, Faculty Director of the MCA. Seeking to strengthen students’ written advocacy from the outset, Professor Baker developed a comprehensive four-week curriculum for new MCA members modeled after the timeline that students face in real competitions. She distributed a unique Fourth Amendment moot court fact pattern and assigned each new member to draft an appellate brief on behalf of either the petitioner or the respondent.
Over those four weeks, students attended weekly lectures covering the fundamentals of persuasive legal writing, including outlining, brief structure, research, editing, and clarity. New members were divided into small groups, and their briefs were critiqued by three separate faculty members involved in the program––including Professors Heidi K. Brown, Heather E. Cucolo ’03, Addison O’Donnell, Florence Hutner, and Baker. Each professor provided detailed, line-by-line edits and feedback on everything from active voice and grammar to organization, topic sentences, and concise argumentation.
MCA members had the opportunity to rewrite their training appellate briefs after a one-on-one feedback review session with a faculty member. Professor Baker then conducted another training on oral advocacy. Thereafter, students were required to conduct mock oral arguments on behalf of both the petitioner and respondent, ensuring a deep understanding of the record and legal issues.
The Rock and Roll Moot Court Competition was the MCA’s first competition following the inaugural training program, and the results were immediate. The competition challenged students with complex issues at the intersection of tort and copyright law, including whether a federal employee acted within the scope of employment and was liable for negligence under the Federal Tort Claims Act, and whether a digital content creator’s use of a copyrighted musical work constituted transformative use under the Copyright Act.
The second NYLS team, comprised of Andre Guifarro ’26 and Ryan Gumpel ’27, with student coach Nancy Pignatare ’26, also delivered a strong showing and demonstrated significant growth throughout the competition season. Professor Baker credits MCA Chair John West ’26, Training Coordinator Marsha Kubyshko ’26, and Vice Chair Angela Cefarello ’26 for helping to implement the training program; as well as Adjunct Professor Addison O’Donnell for serving as the team’s Senior Fellow in preparation for the competition.
Through rigorous preparation and a commitment to excellence in both written and oral advocacy, the MCA continues to build on its longstanding tradition of success. The early success of the new brief-writing training program signals a promising chapter for the MCA and NYLS’s continued commitment to producing compelling oral advocates and legal writers.
