Derik Rush, 3L, and Danny Veselik, 3L, kicked off the 2023-24 moot court competition season with a strong showing at the Emory University Law School’s Civil Rights and Liberties Moot Court Competition in Atlanta.
Rush and Veselik argued in three preliminary rounds before advancing to the octofinals, where they were eliminated by a team that moved onto the semifinal round.
Even though they did not advance, they received some high scores from judges for their oral advocacy, and Veselik withstood rapid fire questioning from judges in more than one round.
The team was coached by Attorneys Julie A. Leary (L’20), Theresa Correa McMichan (L’23), and Bailey Groh Rasmussen (L’23). Professor Lisa Mazzie served as advisor and coach.
Rush reflected, “It’s crazy to think a year ago Danny and I were about to turn in our first appellate brief. This Competition was a challenging but rewarding experience, and I am grateful for our coaches who helped us become better advocates.” Congratulations to Rush and Veselik on their success!
On Tuesday, September 19, the Milwaukee Association for Women Lawyers (AWL) Foundation honored three Marquette University Law School students with scholarships.
Abby Phillips, 3L, received the AWL Foundation scholarship. The AWL Foundation Scholarship is awarded to a woman who has exhibited service to others, diversity, compelling financial need, academic achievement, unique life experiences (such as overcoming obstacles to attend or continue law school), and advancement of women in the profession.
Phillips is a Wisconsin native and former social worker. She worked for six years as a child welfare social worker in Milwaukee County but decided she wanted to attend law school to become a more effective advocate for underrepresented clients. She has volunteered in many of the Office of Public Service’s pro bono programs, and this past summer she began working for Human Rights First, an international nonpartisan organization, on its Project: Afghan Legal Assistance team, where she provided legal services to Afghan clients seeking asylum and parole in the United States. She is also an immigration law clerk for the International Institute of Wisconsin, where she assists refugees and parolees in obtaining their necessary documentation to live and work in the U.S., and a staff editor for the Marquette Benefits and Social Welfare Law Review.
Monika Allis, 3L, was awarded the Virginia A. Pomeroy scholarship. This scholarship honors the late Virginia A. Pomeroy, a former deputy state public defender and a past president of AWL. In addition to meeting the same criteria as for the AWL Foundation scholarship, the winner of this scholarship must also exhibit what the AWL Foundation calls “a special emphasis, through experience, employment, class work or clinical programs” in one of several particular areas: appellate practice, civil rights law, public interest law, public policy, public service, or service to the vulnerable or disadvantaged.
Allis is also a social worker and worked as a case manager for the Division of Milwaukee Child Protective Services before deciding to attend law school. Allis is active in various areas: she assisted as a research assistant, working in voting rights; she is the former president and current secretary for Out & Allies, and has worked in the Office of Public Service’s pro bono clinics. Her paper on gender affirming care for trans youth was published this summer on WisLawNOW. Currently, Allis works as a social justice/DEI consultant with Allis Consulting, LLC, which she began in 2021, specializing in LGBTQI education, sex workers’ rights, disability rights, and racial equity.
Congratulations to these two women for outstanding service and for their representation of Marquette University Law School.
Team members Annie Gonring and Ron Tenuta successfully argued their way into quarterfinals at the UCLA Williams Institute National Moot Court Competition. Their quarterfinal round ended up being a re-match of one of their preliminaries rounds, against a competitive team.
Although Gonring and Tenuta did not advance to the semifinals, they did achieve high oral argument scores from the judges, with Gonring, in particular, named by several judges as an outstanding oralist. Their brief also tied for third place in the competition.
Madeline Lewis and Aimeé Treviño—Marquette’s other team—did not advance past the preliminary round, but they put in strong performances, with Trevino named by one judge as the best advocate in her round.
This marked Marquette’s first time in this competition and our two teams showed that Marquette was a presence to contend with.
The team was advised by Professor Lisa Mazzie, and coached by Attorneys Alexa Bradley (L’18), Bryn Baker (L’18), and Courtney Roelandts (L’18).
(From left to right) Madeline Lewis, Aimeé Treviño, Annie Gonring, and Ron Tenuta pose next to a bust of Abraham Lincoln at UCLA Law School.
