After four nights of competition, The Don Turner Moot Court Competition participants completed their arguments. Judges then named Adin Johnson and Trevor Byrd, third-year Willamette Law students, as winners.
Participants competed in 17 teams of two. Students in their second or third year at Willamette Law are eligible to participate. The runners-up were third-year Willamette Law students Andrew Bridge and Dwight Bond.
Byrd said the preparation process was incredibly collaborative and both students sought feedback from each other.
“If one of us wanted to experiment with a certain line of questioning, for example, we would try it out on the other person and try to convince them why it was necessary,” he said. “In that sense we were a good source of feedback for each other.”
Byrd also credited their success to the trust shared between the two competitors.
“Adin trusted me and I trusted him to object when he felt it was necessary, and I knew that he could respond to objections well,” Byrd said. “That allowed us to focus on our work without making us worry about our partner.”
Johnson echoed Byrd’s statements and added that the benefits of participating in Moot Court are unmatched in a classroom.
“Mock trials in general are great because they add a different dynamic to the legal education that we get,” he said. “You cannot learn how a court works unless you seek it out and put yourself in situations where you can learn and improve.”
The Don Turner Competition is named after former Willamette Law professor and alumnus Don Turner LLB’59. Turner taught courses in criminal law, criminal procedure, evidence and scientific proof at the school from 1971–2002. He also advised the Moot Court Program and coached the regional teams. Before teaching, he served as a district attorney in The Dalles, Oregon.
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As the first law school in the Pacific Northwest, Willamette University College of Law boasts an innovative program designed to prepare leaders in government, private practice, and business with the lawyering skills needed in the 21st Century. Willamette Law’s small class sizes foster an interactive learning environment among our diverse student population with a thriving externship and clinical program, ample practical skills courses, and a new Business Lawyering Institute. With a “one student at a time” placement approach, our students are given individualized development plans and tools for success in today's legal job market. In recent years, outside industry watchers such as Moody’s and The National Jurist Magazine have recognized Willamette Law for its positive job placement results. Willamette lawyers are the best dealmakers, problem solvers, community leaders, and change-makers in the most innovative and exciting region in the country. Our location — nestled in the heart of the Willamette Valley and across the street from the Oregon State Capitol, Supreme Court and many state agencies — is an advantage that cannot be matched anywhere in the region.