The Howard Payne University Moot Court team recently received several year-end awards from the Texas Undergraduate Moot Court Association (TUMCA). HPU sophomore Chandler Raine placed first among the individual speakers. The HPU team of seniors Lauren Teel and Cara Brewer placed first among teams.
Additionally, Brewer placed second among individual speakers and junior Christina Todo placed tenth. The HPU team of Raine and junior Angela Haney placed third.
Awards are presented based upon teams and individuals who have averaged the highest number of points over the three yearly tournaments in the fall and spring semesters. Trophies were presented to the top ten individual speakers, and the top five teams. The first place speaker and the first place team also received monetary awards.
According to Dr. Mandy Locker, moot court sponsor and assistant professor of criminal justice, HPU received the most TUMCA year-end awards of any of the schools participating. HPU students competed against students from schools including Baylor University, the University of North Texas, the University of Dallas, Arkansas State University, Hardin-Simmons University, The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University.
Additionally, earlier in the semester, three teams from HPU competed in the University of Dallas moot court competition in March. The HPU team of junior Robert Davis and senior Jon Beaubien were the tournament champions, defeating a team from Baylor University in the final round. Also, Chandler Raine and Christina Todo took individual speaker awards for the presentation of their arguments. They both received top speaker awards with Raine placing second and Todo placing ninth.
The Gary D. Elliston Moot Court Endowment Fund was established in 2006 to provide funding for the HPU moot court program. The endowment covers costs incurred by the organization such as travel, lodging, entry fees, organizational dues to the TUMCA, and other costs related to participating in regional and national competitions.
