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Albany Students Argue the Case
by Greta Petry
Two UAlbany undergraduates, Jessica Landin and
Lauren Mendolera, captured �Best New Team� honors
in the national tournament of the American Collegiate
Moot Court Association (ACMCA) competition January
30-31 in Arlington, Texas.
�Jess and Lauren turned in outstanding performances,
made a slew of new friends during the competition,
and learned much from their experience. I would
not suggest getting into an argument with either
one of them,� said their faculty mentor, James
Acker.
Landin and Mendolera were one of 60 teams from
around the country which participated in three
rounds of oral arguments on the first day of the
tournament. Sixteen teams advanced to single-elimination
rounds on the second day. While Landin and Mendolera
did not advance, their performance earned them
a special trophy for being the �Best New Team�
in the competition.
The two were part of a group of five volunteers
from Acker�s class, Introduction to Law and Criminal
Justice (CRJ 202), who represented UAlbany at
the Eastern Regionals of the ACMCA Undergraduate
Moot Court Tournament November 21-22 at Fitchburg
State College in Fitchburg, Mass. In the November
competition, the group of five was split into
two teams, with Landin and Mendolera on one, and
Amanda Conover and Winston Brownlow on the other.
Emily Spinner served as alternate.
In the fall competition, after the first three
oral arguments, the team of Landin and Mendolera
qualified for the round of 16. �Competing against
seasoned teams from other universities, many of
whom had been enrolled in semester-length courses
devoted to preparing for the ACMCA tournament,
the Landin-Mendolera team pulled upset after upset,
advancing to the round of eight, then the final
four, and ultimately qualifying for the final
round of the competition,� Acker said. In that
tournament, Landin and Mendolera finished as runners-up.
Acker said the performance of Landin and Mendolera
�was all the more remarkable because Jess is a
sophomore and Lauren is a first-year student.�
Landin, a Westchester, N.Y., native and psychology
major whose long-term goal is to work for the
FBI, said competing �was truly one of the best
experiences of my life.� Mendolera, a freshman
from Elma, N.Y. (30 miles from the Canadian border),
plans to major in English and volunteered because
she wanted to improve her public speaking skills.
�I eventually want to be a lawyer and practice
business law. Or perhaps eventually run for a
judgeship,� she said.
Acker said all five of the UAlbany students �invested
countless hours outside of class to prepare for
the [November] tournament, including several brainstorming
sessions on their own.�
Conover, a junior from Altamont, N.Y., said Acker�s
course was her first experience learning about
law �outside of John Grisham, �Law and Order,�
and �JAG.� �
The skills she learned in moot court can also
be applied to job interviews. �Answering interview
questions requires the same amount of confidence
and poise. If I end up pursuing the career path
of a lawyer, I�ll obviously use these skills in
court, but even if I end up going into teaching
[she has considered teaching at the university
level], this experience taught me a lot about
public speaking,� she said.
Acker noted, �I could not be prouder of all the
students who participated in the competition.�
UAlbany�s participation in the fall tournament
was supported by a grant from the UAlbany Innovations
in Teaching Awards, which are administered through
the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
(CETL).
Mendolera said, �These are life skills, especially
for anyone looking to enter law school. They involve
public speaking, thorough analysis, and just generally
being able to think on your feet. These will all
carry over into life.�
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