First Amendment issues come to the forefront as federal campaign finance legislation brews and suits involving state campaign laws boil over.
Getting ahead in learning how to tackle such courtroom cases are two UM Law School students who finished second in the 13th annual National First Amendment Moot Court Competition.

Brad Moody of Northport, Ala., and Clayton Dabbs of Clarksdale "evinced true grace under pressure and were outstanding representatives of The University of Mississippi School of Law," says Professor Jack Nowlin, team coach.

Held in February at the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University, the competition centered on an imaginary First Amendment case in campaign finance reform. "It was a difficult and complex campaign finance case, involving federal regulation of both individual and corporate expenditures on political advertisements," Nowlin says.

More than 70 of the nation's top law students from 36 law schools competed in the only annual national moot court competition to focus solely on First Amendment issues. The UM students were edged out by the team from South Texas College of Law. They brought home a $1,000 prize. Dabbs and Moody were chosen for the UM team from among students recommended by the law faculty and Moot Court Board. Several finalists were evaluated in personal interviews by Nowlin and Professor George Cochran, who helped coach the team. In preparation for the national event, the two rising third-year students spent many hours studying, including a written brief and eight, two-hour practice rounds, judged by law faculty.

With little past experience in such and no plans to become a litigator, Dabbs says the competition "exposed me to something new that I really enjoyed."
On the other hand, Moody aims for a career in litigation. "This experience was a great joy from start to finish and just encouraged me more in that direction," he says.
Both students hold bachelor's degrees in accountancy, with Dabbs graduating from Ole Miss and Moody from the University of Alabama.

Moot court experience is important in legal education, says Nowlin. "It's difficult to achieve a high level of excellence in advocacy skills without actual courtroom experience, but competitions like this go a long way in this respect. It's also a lot of fun."

Members of the National First Amendment Law Moot Court Competition Team Bradley C. Moody (left) and Clayton A. Dabbs (center) join team coach Professor Jack Nowlin with the trophy they won at national competition. From a field of 36 schools, the UM team finished as runner-up, making it to the final round of competition before losing to South Texas, "a moot court powerhouse that has won twice in the last four years," says Nowlin. Held at Vanderbilt University in February, the competition marked only the second time for the UM Law School to field a team.

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