UM Lawyer FALL/WINTER 2006-07 • Another chance to make a first impression

Another chance to make a first impression
Moot Court Board revives old publication

by Rebecca Lauck Cleary


Moot Court Board members Ahsaki Baptist (left), Jordan Walker, Mary Ann Percy, Drew Wheeler and Eric Patterson have revived the Mississippi Review of First Impressions, a publication produced by UM Moot Court members.

Some third-year law students have revitalized the Mississippi Review of First Impressions, an endeavor that had fallen by the wayside in recent years. The MRFI is an effort by the UM Moot Court Board to aid those within the legal community in researching certain undecided issues of law in state and the 5th Circuit.

“The Mississippi Review of First Impressions is a compilation of student-written memoranda discussing issues that have not been resolved by either the Mississippi Supreme Court or the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals,” said executive editor Mary Ann Percy of Oxford. “Students chose topics they are interested in and that they think will be of interest to practicing lawyers in Mississippi, and will try to give some prediction of how the court would decide.”

Where to get a copy

For more information on the fall issue of the Mississippi Review of First Impressions or to order your copy, contact Mary Ann Percy at mapercy@olemiss.edu.

Third-year Moot Court members submitted bench memos for review, and the Moot Court Board selected 10 for publication. Associate law professor Kris Gilliland is the editorial adviser, and the MRFI editorial staff consists of five third-year board members, including Percy, Eric L. Patterson of Yazoo City, Ahsaki Baptist of Southaven, Jordan Walker of Clinton and Drew Wheeler of Biloxi.

Patterson said the group has taken on a very ambitious project in reviving the MRFI. “The editorial board has worked extremely hard to ensure that the MRFI will be better than ever and that it will receive the legitimacy and credibility it deserves. The quality of the Moot Court Board members will ensure the memoranda in the MRFI will be top-notch,” he said. “We plan to put out an excellent book that will inspire future Moot Court Boards to build on what this board has accomplished. The continued existence of the MRFI is obviously crucial to its legitimacy, and we hope to ensure that the MRFI will be around for a long time to come.”

The revitalization of the publication is an advantage for the students as well because it adds another writing requirement for Moot Court membership, giving members more legal writing experience.
“Anybody who practices law knows that issues of first impression come up regularly in law practice, and the MRFI will give the lawyer with such an issue a jump on the competition in the research and analysis of an issue that is covered by the MRFI,” Patterson said.