Smith, McDowell & Powell law clerk Justin Cutler, as a member of the Pacific McGeorge Moot Court Team, recently advanced to the semifinal round in the Sixteenth Annual National Entertainment Law Moot Court Competition.
The 24 team competition was held November 9-10, 2013, at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. However, the tournament truly began much earlier than November as the teams spent weeks researching and writing a persuasive brief that was submitted to a panel of judges. After these briefs were graded, the teams gathered at Pepperdine to participate in simulated court proceedings, which involved the presentation of an oral argument to a panel of three or four judges.
Justin Cutler, along with teammates, Anastasya Uskov and Kevin Heitz, advanced to the quarterfinals after competing against Florida A&M, Texas Tech, and Thomas Jefferson School of Law in the preliminary rounds. The team continued its success against Southern Methodist University in the quarterfinals only to fall narrowly short to UC Hastings in the semifinals.