A team of two 3L students, Sarah Propst and Cody Johnson, won top honors at the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)’s 2020-21 national Giles S. Rich Moot Court Competition, winning one of the five regional competitions and then beating out nine other regional champions and runners-up to take the national honors. The team was coached by Peter McCabe and John Williams ’19.
2020-21 national Giles S. Rich Moot Court Competition Champions, 3Ls Sara Propst and Cody Johnson.
The Giles S. Rich Moot Court Competition is the oldest and most prestigious moot court competition in the field of intellectual property and the only national competition specifically directed to the area of patent law. The competition is divided into five regional competitions followed by a national competition among the top two teams from each region. All 2020-21 competitions were held online. The national rounds were held over three days, April 14-16, 2021.
“The entire competition was done remotely, which was a real challenge but a great learning experience for how lawyering will probably be done in the next few years,” said Propst.
A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (consisting of Judges Timothy Dyk, Kathleen O’Malley, and Kara Stoll) announced the winners on April 16. The team captured screenshots (pictured in header) of the panel in the final round. “I look way too serious for a person that just won in the finals,” said Johnson.
“We were ecstatic!” exclaimed McCabe. “Sarah and Cody beat a superb team from Columbia University Law School. They spent over 150 hours – at least – preparing for and competing in this competition. Their victory is well-deserved.”
The Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Moot Court competition is named for the late Honorable Giles Sutherland Rich, Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The competition is an annual inter-law school event sponsored by the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA).
Learn more about Texas Law’s interscholastic moot court program.