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By Elizabeth Ryan & Greg Goldberg
From: The Docket
Online, March 8, 2005
The Moot Court Board and the Law & Economics Center hosted the Third Annual Henry G. Manne Moot Court Competition for Law & Economics at the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Saturday, February 26. Named in honor of former Dean Henry G. Manne, a pioneer in the use of economics principals to explain legal and regulatory norms, the competition promotes GMUSL as a premier center for the study of law and economics.
The event gave law students from around the country an opportunity to make legal and economic arguments on the merits of a complex antitrust price fixing problem.
Led by Competition Chair, Kristina Wolfe (3D), Co-Chair, Dean Makris (2D) and Competition Judges Chair, Elizabeth Owens (3D), the Moot Court Board began planning the annual competition last summer. Since August, the Board worked diligently to publicize the event, recruit teams and judges, create the competition problem, and solicit financial support and sponsorship.
The Board's efforts proved to be a stunning success as the competition seamlessly proceeded on Saturday and received outstanding reviews from both competitors and judges. "As someone who has participated in more than a few of these moot court competitions, I recognize exceptionalism when I see it. And, the Manne Competition was exceptional. The problem had intellectual depth. The judges were world class, and the staff was always willing to answer a question. We consider ourselves honored to have participated and look forward to doing so in the future," said Wayne State University team member, Adam Tountas.
For the third consecutive year, Judge Pauline Newman graciously hosted the competition at the Federal Circuit, and for the second consecutive year, Bristol Myers Squibb generously sponsored the competition welcome reception, organized by Public Relations Chair, Todd Davis (3D).
This year's distinguished final round panel included the honorable Judge Pauline Newman, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Judge Adrian G. Duplantier, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, Senior Judge Stephen F. Williams, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and former Dean Manne. An impressive group of preliminary round judges also volunteered to support the competition, including: Mr. Ian Conner, Department of Justice; Mr. Andrew Finch, Department of Justice; Mr. Montgomery Kosma, Jones Day; Mr. John R. Perkins, Crowell & Moring; Mr. Lee H. Simowitz, Baker & Hostetler; and GMUSL Professors Edward Warren, Ernie Isenstadt, Ross Davies, and Lloyd Cohen.
The third annual competition drew teams from law schools all over the country. Participants included: Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University; J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University; Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary; Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law; University of California Davis Law School; and Wayne State University Law School. The Cardozo team was awarded Best Brief, Best Oralist, and a $1,000 cash prize generously donated by the Law & Economics Center. Best Brief honors went to Wayne State. Because GMUSL hosted the competition, no members of our Board competed.
Moot Court Board members Bill Groh (3D) and George Wyatt (3D) drafted this year's problem with the assistance of Professor Ernie Isenstadt. The case involved a government accusation of anticompetitive price fixing against an association of small liquor retailers that used common advertisements to compete with large corporate chains. Each team explored the legal and economic implications of cooperative price advertising by competitors to make their case.
The Moot Court Board is especially thankful for the continued support of Judge Pauline Newman, Professor Frank Buckley and Professor Ernie Isenstadt, without whom the competition could not have been such a success. The Board looks forward to hosting future Manne competitions as George Mason remains on the cutting edge of the study of Law & Economics and cements its reputation among the nation's finest law schools.
For more information on the Henry G. Manne Moot Court Competition, please visit http://www.gmu.edu/org/mootcourt/competitions/manne.