The Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition (NELMCC)

Instituted in 1989, the Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition (NELMCC) is one of the nation’s largest interschool moot court competitions. Under pre-pandemic conditions, NELMCC is known for hosting as many as 350 law students and attorney judges on the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University’s Westchester campus.

 

 

Welcome 
The Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law
Moot Court Competition

NELMCC 2024 will be held in White Plains, NY
February 22-24, 2024


 

2024 Competition Schedule of Events

General Information

About the Competition

Every year law student advocates nationwide assemble at The Elisabeth Haub School of Law to compete in the largest interschool moot court competition under one roof. Over 200 competitors and 150 attorneys participate in grading briefs and serving as judges for the three day competition.

NELMCC tests students' skills in appellate brief writing and oral advocacy and uses issues drawn from real cases to provide students first-hand experience in environmental litigation while also providing a rigorous academic experience.

The Competition is distinctive in that three adverse teams argue the issues, reflecting the fact that environmental litigation frequently involves multiple parties — the government, a public interest group, and a member of the regulated industry.

Rounds

Oral arguments begin with three preliminary rounds. Judges evaluating the oral arguments include attorneys with environmental law expertise, local attorneys and judges from the nation’s courts. Final round judges are members of the federal and state benches and the US EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board.

The Problem

Each year the legal problem involves timely issues of national importance and/or internatonal importance to the practice of environmental law.

2024 Competition Results and Video


Click here to view 2024 NELMCC Competition

Click here to view 2024 Final Team Scores

Click here to view the photos from the 2024 Competition

 

The 2024 Jeffrey G. Miller
National Environmental Law
Moot Court Competition Results


2024 WINNER
University of Minnesota Law School - Team 29
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Maria Pfister, Poojan Thakrar, Hanna Weil

2024 FINALIST
University of Georgia School of Law - Team 8
Transnational Gas Pipelines, LLC (TGP)
Michael Jones, Joseph Will, Emily Wood

2024 FINALIST
Boston College School of Law – Team 5
Holy Order of Mother Earth (HOME)
Cameron Cantelmo, Donald Fagan, Haley Rowlands


● ● ●

 2024 Best Oralist
Asna Poonawalla - Team 2
Baylor University School of Law

Best Oralist - Honorable Mention
 Alexis Pineda - Team 2
Baylor University School of Law

● ● ●

2024 David Sive Award for Best Brief Overall

University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law - Team 34
Holy Order of Mother Earth (HOME)
Jake Collier, Taylor Macy, Sana Mohammed

● ● ●

University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law - Team 21
Brief for Transnational Gas Pipelines, LLC (TGP)
Lauren Cormany, Olivia McQuarrie, Carter Moore
 
 Northeastern University School of Law - Team 23
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Anjika Pai, Marcus Bockhorst

● ● ●

2024 Fact Sheet and Important Dates

2024 Team Briefs

Briefs: Service of Opposing Teams

In satisfaction of the requirement of service on opposing teams, the 2024 teams have submitted electronic briefs by email attachments. These files are in PDF format. Teams can be identified by their number.

Competitors: Please take a moment to look at your own team's brief and report any problems by email to nelmcc@law.pace.edu or telephone (914) 422-4426

LINKS TO INDIVIDUAL BRIEFS

Below are the links to the individual briefs. Although we have scanned all the files for viruses, saving the files gives your virus-scanning software a chance to rescan and is the best practice when downloading files from the web. If a team has withdrawn from the competition, their corresponding team number will not link to a brief.

Team 1 Team 30
Team 2 Team 31
Team 3 Team 32
Team 4 Team 33
Team 5 Team 34
Team 6 Team 35
Team 7 Team 36
Team 8 Team 37
Team 9 Team 38
Team 10 Team 39
Team 11 Team 40
Team 12 Team 41
Team 13 Team 42
Team 14 Team 43
Team 15 Team 44
Team 45
Team 16 Team 46
Team 17 Team 47
Team 18 Team 48
Team 19 Team 49
Team  20 Team 50
Team 21 Team 51
Team 23 Team 52
Team 24 Team 53
Team 25 Team 54
Team 26 Team 55
Team 27 Team 57
Team 28 Team 58
Team 29  

 

Give to NELMCC

Each year, our campaign goal is to raise money that will continue to grow NELMCC as a premier environmental moot court and add to the outstanding reputation of the Pace Environmental Law Program.
Please consider making a donation to NELMCC.   We rely 100% on the generous support of donors to help fund the administration of the event.
Based on your donation level, you will be recognized for your generosity in a variety of ways as shown on the enclosed sponsor form.  Click here for more information & donation levels

CLICK HERE TO MAKE ONLINE DONATION
SPECIAL NOTE: CHECK THE BOX TO DESIGNATE YOUR GIFT TO THE  "NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW MOOT COURT COMPETITION"

Thank you for supporting NELMCC.

 

New York State CLE Information for Judging

Judges are eligible to earn 2 skills/practice credits for every NELMCC round judged.  (maximum 6 credits in total allowed)

Judges may also sit for the NYS Ethics CLE Program for attorneys on Friday, Feb. 23rd at the Judicial Institute Lecture Hall at 1:00-3:00

Attorneys must sign in and out name and time for all rounds judged in the Tudor Room and Judicial Institute

 

Meet the 2024 NELMCC Final Round Judges

FINAL ROUND JUDGES

 

The Honorable Aaron Avila, U.S. EPA, Environmental Appeals Board
Judge Avila has substantial litigation and management experience in matters arising under federal pollution control and natural resource statutes.  Prior to joining the Board, Judge Avila served first as a staff attorney and then as an Assistant Section Chief in the Appellate Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice. During his tenure in the Appellate Section, Judge Avila litigated and supervised civil and criminal appellate matters involving major federal environmental and pollution control statutes before the courts of appeals and the Supreme Court on behalf of the United States and its agencies (primarily EPA, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense).  Judge Avila presented oral argument in more than 30 appeals.  Prior to joining the Justice Department, Judge Avila was an associate at Morrison & Foerster LLP in San Francisco, California and before that he served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Robert D. Sack of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Judge Avila’s work has garnered him numerous awards and recognitions, including the Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Excellence and EPA's Silver Medal for Superior Service Award.

Judge Avila earned his Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from New York University School of Law, and his Bachelor of Arts and Science degree (Political Science and Civil Engineering) from Stanford University.
 

Alexandra Dunn, Partner Baker BottsAlexandra Dunn
Alexandra (Alex) Dunn is a Partner in the Environmental, Safety, and Incident Response group at the international law firm of Baker Botts with 25 plus years of practice at the local, state, and federal levels of government. Alex brings to clients extensive institutional knowledge and a keen ability to help solve regulatory problems. Her deep relationships across the nation and reputation for transparency, fairness, and equity, make her an effective presence in the difficult settings. Alex largely works with major companies and national organizations on the regulation and management of emerging contaminants - particularly integrated per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFOS/PFAS) - on environmental justice and risk communication, chemical regulations, enforcement and compliance assistance, and risk communication.

From 2019-2021, with unanimous consent confirmation by the U.S. Senate, Alex served as Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. Overseeing 900 career staff, she was responsible for the creation of national policies implementing federal laws governing chemicals, pesticides, and pollution prevention. Prior, she was EPA Administrator for New England (Region 1) from 2018-2019, where she focused on watersheds, enforcement, and environmental justice. Previously, Alex served as Executive Director and General Counsel of the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), the national non-partisan association of U.S. state and territorial environmental commissioners. She held other dynamic positions in her career, including Executive Director and General Counsel of the Association of Clean Water Agencies (ACWA); Dean of Environmental Law Programs at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University; General Counsel of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies; and Counsel at the American Chemistry Council. Alex is a nationally known author on the topics of green cities, urban sustainability, environmental justice, and watershed management; she also has taught environmental justice at three law schools.

Alex serves on the Leadership Council of the Environmental Law Institute, the Board of Regents of the American College of Environmental Lawyers, and as a leader in the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy and Resources and on the Section of Litigation’s Environmental Litigation Committee.
 

Catharina Haynes, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Judge Catharina Haynes was appointed as a Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in April of 2008 by President George W. Bush. Prior to taking the federal bench, she served eight years as a state district judge in Dallas. In addition to her judicial service, Judge Haynes spent thirteen years in private practice.  She is board certified in Consumer and Commercial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Judge Haynes has been actively involved in the legal community for many years including serving on the Board of Directors of the Dallas Bar Association, on the Alumni Advisory Board of the Emory University School of Law, as Chair of the Appellate Judges Education Institute, and as Chair of the Appellate Judges Conference of the American Bar Association’s Judicial Division.  She has also served on the Judicial Conference Committee on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System and currently serves on the Federal Judicial Center Appellate Judge Education Advisory Committee.  She is a member of the Higginbotham Inn of Court and the Ford Inn of Court.

Judge Haynes has received several awards including the 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award from Emory University School of Law, the 2016 Honorary Alumna Award from the SMU Dedman School of Law and the 2014 Florida Tech Award of Distinction.  She is a two-time recipient of the Dallas Bar Association’s Jo Anna Moreland Outstanding Committee Chair Award and a recipient of the Award of Excellence from the DAYL Foundation.  In January of 2024, she is receiving the Serjeant of the Inn Award from the Higginbotham Inn.  She and her husband, Craig, recently celebrated their 35th anniversary.

The Honorable Malachy E. Mannion, US District Court, Middle District of PAMalachy Mannion
Judge Mannion is a 1972 graduate of the Scranton Preparatory School; a 1976 graduate of the University of Scranton with a B.S. in Psychology; and a 1979 graduate of Pace University School of Law with a Juris Doctorate. His legal career began in White Plains, NY in 1979, where he was an associate with the law firm of Bartels, Pykett & Aronwald, Esqs. From 1980-1986 he served as an Assistant District Attorney in Nassau County, NY where, as a senior trial attorney, he investigated and tried numerous cases ranging from homicide to organized crime, burglary to narcotics, rape to armed robbery. He also served as the trial supervisor responsible for instructing and supervising 41 assistant district attorneys in trial practice and procedure.

Judge Mannion was an Assistant United States Attorney and Chief of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) in the Middle District of Pennsylvania from 1986-1993 and 1997-2001. During that time he was also the District’s Security Manager, possessing a top secret United States Government security clearance. He was, and still is, a regular speaker, instructor and judge at the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Advocacy Center in Columbia, SC. Judge Mannion was also a member of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Evaluation and Review Staff (EARS) charged with critically evaluating the performance and procedures used in the 94 United States Attorney’s offices across the country. Judge Mannion was a partner in the Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, Pa. regional civil litigation firm of Hourigan, Kluger, Spohrer & Quinn, PC. from 1993-1997. In that time he handled and tried numerous civil matters, with a focus on medical malpractice, negligence and commercial litigation, in both federal and state courts.

 In 2001, Judge Mannion was appointed to the federal bench for an 8-year term as a United States Magistrate Judge in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. He was reappointed to a second 8-year term in 2009. In 2011 he became the Chief United States Magistrate Judge in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. In 2012, Judge Mannion was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as a United States District Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The United States Senate confirmed his nomination on December 21, 2012. Judge Mannion was sworn in as a United States District Judge on December 28, 2012.Judge Mannion is the Treasurer and an Executive Committee member of the Federal Judges Association (FJA) and is a Past President of the Federal Magistrate Judges Association (FMJA). Additionally, he has been a member of the Administrative Office of United States Court’s Advisory Committee on Magistrate Judges. He is currently a member of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit’s Judicial Council’s Magistrate Judges’ Committee. He is a Past President of the Middle District of Pennsylvania’s chapter of the Federal Bar Association. He has written and lectured nationally in the areas of trial practice, e-discovery, federal rules, money laundering, the fourth amendment, federal trial & motion practice, official corruption, ethics, legal writing, and discovery. He is involved with numerous charitable organizations.

History of "Dawn-Storm King" Painting

Click here for the background and history of the original "Dawn-Storm King" watercolor painting. The painting is exhibited each year by the winning school of the competition.  

Sponsors

The Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition is grateful to the organizations and people whose generous financial support help make the event possible.  

We are pleased to have the following as major supporters:

 

 

ABA Seer Logo

The American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER) is the premier forum for environmental, energy, and resource lawyers, advisors, and decision makers. SEER represents more than 7,500 members with a wide range of professional interests and is committed to providing content to help members enhance professional skills and dialogue on relevant subject areas. To learn more about SEER, please visit www.ambar.org/joinseer.

 

Baker Botts Logo

 

AlterEcho Logo

 

 


 

Previous Competitions

Here is link to view  previous competitions (2011-present):  Video Recordings

The winning briefs can be found in our library research guide:  http://libraryguides.law.pace.edu/nelmcc

 

Team Registration and Payment

REGISTRATION IS OFFICIALLY CLOSED - 

  • Registration is limited to the first 51 teams.  One Team per school. Payment link: 
  • Deadline to register is October 1 or until full. 
  • Each team must complete the online individual team member name registration form by October 26, 2024  --------------------
  • The nonrefundable registration fee is $_____ payable online by credit card or check payment
  • Late registrations will be considered if space allows.
  • NELMCC office will notify team contact with Team Number when school is officially registered.
  • The Problem will be distributed by email on or about October 3, 2024 to 1 Team Contact.