Twenty-four law schools sent teams to this year's Kaufman Securities Moot Court Competition at Fordham Law School in New York City. They included Emory, Georgetown, New York Law, Indiana, St. John's, American, UCLA, University of Miami, and George Mason. The Securities Law Program National Moot Court team bested 20 of those schools and tied with two others, plowing to just below the finals.

The team was comprised of 3L dynamos Casey Hughes and Elizabeth Sara Ross. The team was coached and energized by Kevin Link '12 (a former two-time team member) and Securities Law Program Director David Lipton. The Chancellor and remediator of all problems big and small was Securities Law Program star certificate contender, Chris O'Brien (3L). More than a half dozen former Program graduates and competition competitors stopped by to cheer on the team.

"It was great watching these students train and advance from solid debaters to virtually professional advocates," Lipton said. "Knowing that alumni were at their side all the way, made the team more confident and the results aggressively successful. The Program and its alumni are extremely proud of this team."

The Irving R. Kaufman Memorial Moot Court Competition is held in honor of Judge Kaufman, a Fordham alumnus who served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit for many years, including seven years as Chief Judge.

The Competition offers teams the opportunity to test appellate advocacy skills before leading jurists, securities regulators, academics, and practitioners. In years past, the Kaufman Competition has attracted such distinguished final round panelists as Justice Antonin Scalia, Justice Byron White, notable Circuit Judges, leading Securities and Exchange Commission officials, and influential securities law academics and practitioners.