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Three negotiations teams and a moot court team from the UM recently brought home national championships.

"If you had told me years ago that I would have won a national championship for Ole Miss, I would have laughed," said Parker Brown, a second-year law student from Vicksburg.

He and teammates Sophia Welch and Haley Horne were the gaming law team of the UM moot court that competed in the Frank A. Schreck Gaming Law Moot Court Competition earlier this spring at the University of Nevada Las Vegas William Boyd School of Law.

"The competition involved both a written appellate brief and multiple rounds of oral argument," said Welch, a second-year student from Stockton, California. "During the oral advocacy portion, competitors present arguments before a panel of judges in a format modeled after an appellate court, responding to questions in real time."

The preparation and competition were a collaborative effort for the trio, who had the support of law school faculty.

"For over a month leading to the competition we went through intensive oral argument prep with professor (Ron) Rychlak," Brown said. "In the last two weeks before the competition, we had law professors from our school come and judge us, offering us feedback.

"Without the support from our faculty, our win would not have been possible."

Welch was drawn to the competition because she sees it becoming a central focus of her future legal career.

"I am particularly interested in brief writing and oral advocacy, and I intend to pursue a career in appellate work or complex civil and commercial litigation after graduating," she said. "Participating in this competition gave me a chance to sharpen these skills in a demanding, fast-paced setting."

Brown agrees that the skills he has gained through moot court are paying off.

"I had no idea what I wanted to do with my legal career; however, being on moot court has shown me that appellate advocacy is my calling," Brown said. "My passion for moot court and appellate advocacy has opened many doors for me, including an externship with U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Cory T. Wilson this upcoming fall."

Three negotiations teams – one featuring Caleb Chambers and Noah Crosley, one including Eleanor Kast and Walker Jay Patterson and the other composed of Hayden Hammett and Brooks Stewart – were named champions of the William & Mary Law School Negotiation Tournament, Brooklyn Law School Athlete Endorsement Negotiation Competition and Fordham National Basketball Negotiation Competition, respectively.

Hammett and Stewart were challenged to negotiate the best deal for a client in the NBA arena. But before they could take on more than 20 teams through five rounds of negotiations, they had to negotiate their way to participate virtually because of winter storm "Fern."

As the weather got worse in north Mississippi in late January, the two found themselves unable to get to Memphis International Airport due to interstate closures.

"We compiled screenshots of what Gov. Tate Reeves was saying and the Mississippi Highway Patrol and sent them to the host school, proving that we couldn't get to Memphis and get our flight," said Stewart, a second-year student from Madison. "We asked if there was any way we could compete virtually, and they made the exception for us."

The exception proved to be worth it.

"The competition was really an encapsulation of all the preparation leading up to the competition," said Hammett, a second-year student from Collierville, Tennessee. "Execution meant landing a deal that would leave our client satisfied, or simply serve as a productive conversation that led out client closer to their goal of the deal."

Hammett and Stewart had perfected their silent communication, and it proved valuable in the competition.

"Our practices and rapport helped us know when each would talk and the proper way to react to the opposing team's proposals," he said. "And by not interrupting each other and successfully carrying the same professionalism despite limited preparation time because of back-to-back rounds, we were able to display teamwork that differentiated us from the competition."

Hammett was also named Best Advocate at the competition.

The opportunity to compete on behalf of the university was special, Stewart said.

"Clearly neither of us are athletes, so, being able to represent the school meant being able to give back a little bit to the university that gave so much to me," he said.

Oxford and Ole Miss may already be on the map for other teams, but they are becoming known for law school teams. Even law school opponents know about Oxford.

"We couldn't tell where we were from until after the competition," Hammett said. "After the championship round we told the team we competed against (George Washington University) that we were from Ole Miss, and they said: 'Go celebrate at Funky's tonight. Hotty Toddy!'"

Top: Renowned Las Vegas gaming attorney Frank Schreck (center) and competition judges congratulate second-year Ole Miss law students Parker Brown (second from left), Sophia Welch (third from left) and Haley Horne (third from right) on winning the Frank A. Schreck Gaming Law Moot Court Competition at the University of Nevada Las Vegas William Boyd School of Law. The Ole Miss team were named national champions in the competition. Submitted photo