NCALP Hosts 2008 Child Welfare & Adoption Law Moot Court Competition

April 1, 2008

On March 14 and 15, the National Center for Adoption Law & Policy and Capital University Law School hosted the third annual National Moot Court Competition in Child Welfare & Adoption Law.  The event attracted 20 teams from 16 law schools across the country, including Loyola University Chicago School of Law, University of Tennessee School of Law, University of San Diego School of Law, and Florida State University College of Law.  Seven oral argument rounds were held at the Ohio Statehouse and the Ohio Judicial Center, home of the Supreme Court of Ohio.

The 2008 Competition focused on “Children’s Best Interest & Multicultural Issues in Adoption.”  The moot court case was loosely based on a highly publicized Tennessee Supreme Court case – In re A.M.H., 215 S.W.3d 793 (2007) – which decided the fate of Anna Mae He who was ultimately returned to her Chinese biological parents after living with an American family for 8 years. 

In a very close match with the University of San Diego School of Law, Northern Kentucky Salmon P. Chase College of Law prevailed as the 2008 National Champion.  This win for Northern Kentucky was especially meaningful as the school had reached the finals three years in a row but had not clinched the title until this year.

A competition of this size would not have been possible without the help of many colleagues and students who volunteered as judges and bailiffs.  We would like to thank the 130 judges, magistrates, attorneys, law professors, students, and community members who volunteered their time for this event.

Special recognition goes to our national partners: the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys (AAAA), the National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC), the ABA Center on Children & the Law, and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.  For the second year in a row, AAAA and NACC each donated $500 as an award for the National Champions to be divided among winning team members.  Additionally, AAAA donated a plaque for the winning team, a plaque for the winning school, and a perpetual plaque that will hang at Capital University Law School with the name of the winning teams.  AAAA also generously supported the event with a $2,500 annual three-year pledge that began with the 2007 Competition.