Topping off a season of fabulous success for the Texas Wesleyan University School of Law Moot Court program, David Pratt ’07 was recently named the winner of the 2007 Scribes Brief-Writing Award for his appellate brief, which previously received Best Brief honors at the Ninth Annual Pepperdine National Entertainment Moot Court competition in October.
“I was extremely surprised and excited to learn that I had been selected to receive this prestigious award,” Pratt said. “I have had the opportunity to read many of the incredibly well-written briefs that were considered. To be singled out from such a large pool of national talent is truly an honor.”
Forty-eight briefs were submitted this year. The winning brief was selected based on a number of criteria such as style, readability, argument structure, citation format, and question framing.
“We solicit briefs that are winners at either the regional or national level at the various moot court competitions across the country,” Scribes Executive Director Joe Kimble said. “So the briefs are already winners. They are the best of the best, and this is the only award of its kind.”
Interim Dean Cynthia Fountaine said Pratt is a wonderful representative of Texas Wesleyan law school.
“This award is a well-deserved honor for David, and we are very proud of him.” Fountaine said. “As a participant in our moot court program, David displayed his masterful brief-writing skills, and this award represents recognition of his enormous talent and potential.”
Pratt’s moot court coaches selected him to write the brief for the Pepperdine competition. The brief, a Petitioner’s Brief to the Supreme Court of the United States on a fictitious case involving copyright infringement and federal preemption claims, received Best Brief honors. In addition, the team won Best Oral Advocate honors and was named National Champions of the competition.
Pratt said he is extremely grateful to the moot court coaching staff and his fellow team members for their dedication and hard work.
“I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge Associate Dean Vickie Rainwater for teaching me how to take a thought and craft it into a written legal argument,” Pratt said. “I also want to thank moot court coach Joe Spence for teaching me how to think like a lawyer.”
The award will be presented to Pratt at the Scribes annual luncheon at the American Bar Association’s annual meeting in San Francisco on August 11.
Founded in 1953, the Scribes-American Society of Legal Writers is the oldest organization of its kind devoted to honoring legal writers and promoting legal writing. The society honors legal writers and encourages a clear, succinct, and forceful style in legal writing through awards and legal writing seminars and workshops.