Christian G. Fritz Professor Emeritus | UNM School of Law Clinical Programs
The University of New Mexico (UNM) School of Law hosted a preliminary round of the National Moot Court Tournament on January 25-26, 2025. This event, organized by the American Moot Court Association (AMCA), saw participation from 32 teams and 62 competitors from various schools across the United States.
Among the schools in attendance were Baylor University, Benedictine College, Berea College, California State University, Long Beach, Colorado Christian University, San Francisco State University, Texas Christian University, University of California, San Diego, United States Air Force Academy, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Davis, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of North Texas, and University of Southern California.
The tournament started with three rounds of preliminary competitions, leading to elimination stages. In the final showdown, students from the University of California, Berkeley, competed against students from the University of North Texas. The University of California, Berkeley emerged victorious, while the University of North Texas was the runner-up. Micah Frazho from the University of California, Berkeley was awarded the top oralist. The judging panel comprised notable legal professionals such as Judge Shammara Henderson, Judge Megan Duffy, Judge Gerald Baca, Justice Michael Vigil, and Retired Judge Michael Bustamante.
The event provided an opportunity for the School of Law to engage with prospective students and showcase its educational offerings and resources. This initiative aligns with the school's efforts to introduce talented students to its community and provide insight into future legal careers.
Judge Gerald Baca commented on the significance of the competition, stating, "I think the National Moot Court Tournament held at the UNM School of Law was a great event. It was well-run, the student advocates were exceptional, and as a result, the students gained invaluable knowledge, insight, and experience into the practice and procedure of the appellate courts - knowledge and experience upon which they can found their own career paths in the law. I hope the UNM School of Law continues to support and host preliminary rounds as well as a final round of this tournament because it not only promotes our amazing law school but it exposes our New Mexico students to quality programs such as this. I look forward to serving as a judge in this competition again."
The UNM School of Law expressed gratitude to all student participants, moot court coaches, alumni, community volunteers, and law student volunteers for their roles in making the tournament a success.
