Celebrating Poetry

wordsApril is National Poetry Month, which may be Marquette University President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.’s favorite month.  And for good reason.  Poetry can sometimes say what we can’t; it can touch our hearts and our souls with its inspiration, its longing, its joy, and its sadness.

Last year, on this blog, several of us wrote about poetry, sharing our favorites, composing new poetry in both traditional and different ways, or exploring poetry in and about the law.  As student Gabe Houghton noted this post, there are some judges who compose opinions in verse.

As April closes, I just wanted to remind everyone that poetry should be celebrated all months and remember that there are many kinds of poetry.  Songs can be considered poetry set to music. There are also poetry slams.   My favorite in this last genre is Taylor Mali, teacher and poet.  You can see him perform his poem “Totally like whatever, you know?” here.  It’s a nice reminder for those of us who love language that what we say, as well as how we say it, matters.

Continue ReadingCelebrating Poetry

Congratulations to the 2013 Jenkins Honors Moot Court Competitors

The Jenkins Honors Moot Court Competition is an appellate moot court competition for Marquette law students. Students are invited to participate based on their performance in the fall Appellate Writing and Advocacy course at the Law School.

Congratulations to the participants in the 2013 Jenkins Honors Moot Court Competition:

Todd Allen
Michael Beckman
Codi Carstens
Kelly Cavey
Nicholas Chmurski
Stephen Cox
Michael Crane
Alexander Golubiewski
Andy Gordon
Krystal John
Kevin Jolivette
Paul Jonas
Brittany Kachingwe
Hans Lodge
Tea Norfolk
Kerri Puig
Kaitlyn Reise
Brendon Reyes
Jessica Shank
Joy Sisler
Martin St. Aubin
Robert Steele

Students will begin writing their appellate briefs in January with the rounds of oral argument commencing later this spring. The competition includes three preliminary oral argument rounds and a semifinal and final round.

The Jenkins competitors are fortunate to have the opportunity to argue before distinguished members of the bench and bar from Wisconsin and beyond.

The competition is named after the James G. Jenkins, the first Marquette Law School dean.

Continue ReadingCongratulations to the 2013 Jenkins Honors Moot Court Competitors

Marquette Moot Court Team Success at the NMCC

I had the privilege of working with two outstanding National Moot Court Competition (NMCC) teams again this year. The Region VIII round of the NMCC was hosted by Marquette this weekend.

Please congratulate team members Joseph Birdsall, Nicole Cameli, and Patrick Ritter, who advanced to the semifinal round of competition (top four teams out of 18). The team additionally received the second highest brief score at the competition. Attorneys Emily Lonergan and Jason Luczak coached the team.

Please also congratulate team members Steven Miracle, Megan Mooney, and Ariane Strombom for their performance at the competition. The team advanced to the quarterfinals (top eight teams). Attorneys Jesse Blocher and Michael Cerjak coached the team.

The NMCC is sponsored by the New York City Bar and the American College of Trial Lawyers. Over 150 law schools compete across the country.

I am grateful for our teams’ hard work; they put in many hours of practice to prepare for the competition. I am also grateful for the time donated by the Marquette Moot Court Association and many judges and lawyers who judged the briefs and oral arguments for our NMCC regionals. Finally, thank you to the individuals who judged the teams’ numerous practice rounds.

Continue ReadingMarquette Moot Court Team Success at the NMCC