At McKee, Voorhees & Sease (MVS), we take immense pride in contributing to the growth of the legal profession by mentoring and supporting the next generation of attorneys. One way we do this is by coaching the Drake Law School Intellectual Property Moot Court Team.
This year, Mike Gilchrist and Nick Krob had the honor of coaching Dylan Schuchard, Tristan Poirier, Erin Stender, and Katelyn Schmitz from Drake Law School as they prepared for and competed in the International Trademark Association (INTA) Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition. This competition draws over 80 teams of students from law schools across the country to compete in complex legal challenges in the field of trademark and unfair competition law, providing the students with an invaluable opportunity to hone their skills in a real-world setting and interact with attorneys and judges who are experts in the field.
The Drake students were guided through rigorous preparation by a dedicated team of attorneys from MVS, including Christine Lebrón-Dykeman, Mark Hansing, Jill Link, Cassie Edgar, Jacob Blackford, and Andrew Morgan, each of whom brought deep expertise in intellectual property law. Our attorneys, along with others from the community such as Wendy Marsh from Nyemaster Goode and Drake Law student Ankit Pal, volunteered their time to work with the students and provided insight, feedback, and invaluable mooting sessions to ensure the team was ready to perform at the highest level.
All this hard work paid off, as the students triumphed in the regional competition held at the Earle Cabell Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Dallas, Texas and earned one of only 12 spots in the prestigious national competition held in Washington D.C.
Mike and Nick accompanied the students to Washington D.C., where they were all able to visit the United States Supreme Court Building (including a tour of the courtroom itself) and walk the National Mall.
When it came time for the national competition, the students competed exceptionally well. The arguments were held before Trademark Trial and Appeal Board judges, who were all very complimentary of the students' performances.
While the Drake team ultimately placed just outside the top spots, the students nevertheless performed with a level of poise and professionalism that was reflective of the hard work and preparation that went into getting there. The students' impressive performance was a testament to their dedication and the effective coaching they received from MVS attorneys and other volunteers.
We congratulate the Drake students and wish them the best as they continue their legal careers. We are proud to have been a part of their journey and look forward to continuing to contribute to the development of future legal professionals.