Two Temple Law teams participating in the Giles Sutherland Rich Intellectual Property Moot Court competition found recognition and success, with one earning accolades for their writing and the other marching all the way to the semi-finals.
Temple Team #1, which included Amelia Petrosino and Tim Dickens, won “Best Brief” recognition for their written work, while Team #2 (Megan Gehret and Vishal Pancholi) turned back challenges from teams that included NYU, Penn, Pitt, and Georgetown on their way to the semi-final round. Perhaps most impressive, though, was that the teams’ performances came just a few days after learning that they would have to compete on-line instead of in-person due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This was a massive effort on the part of the students,” said Professor Erika Douglas, who co-coached the teams with Associate Dean Don Harris. “They adjusted to a virtual presentation of their arguments and overcame the nerves brought on by a dramatic change in the expectations for the competition. Their deep technical knowledge of patent law really shone through.”
Gehret, a second-year day student, noted that preparing for the competition deepened both her skills and her connections to others in the intellectual property community. “This opportunity has given us each practical experience that is hard to match in law school – from the skills acquired throughout the brief writing process, to the oral argument practices with countless attorneys at Philadelphia area law firms,” she said. “I cannot thank our professors and student coaches enough for their ongoing support.”
Pancholi, a third-year evening student, agreed. “The IP Moot Court was an extremely challenging yet rewarding experience. It involved a tremendous amount of research and brief writing, followed by meticulous oral argument practices,” he said. “After periods of intense brief writing, we went through a long oral argument practice schedule which involved arguing in front of patent attorneys at prestigious Philly law firms and also esteemed professors of our law school. We worked extremely hard and are very proud of the results individually and also as a group.”
For Petrosino, a second-year day student, the experience reinforced the value of collaboration and hard work. “I learned a great deal about patent litigation and am honored to have been a member of this IP Moot Court team,” she said. “It was great working with Tim, Megan, and Vishal and despite the fact that we didn’t get to travel to Boston, I’m happy with how we performed and that our hard work paid off.”
In addition to Professor Douglas and Dean Harris, the teams were supported by student coaches Catherine Cuff and David Frias, who competed last year. Professors Jules Epstein and Sara Jacobson, who lead Temple Law’s nationally ranked trial advocacy program, collaborated with Assistant Dean for Information Technology Shyam Nair to set up and guide the team through a final virtual practice round.
Pictured above, L to R: Amelia Petrosino, Tim Dickens, Megan Gehret, Vishal Pancholi.