Alexandria, Va.— Baylor University School of Law won the 29th Annual Conrad B. Duberstein National Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition, held Feb. 27-March 1 in a virtual courtroom setting. The competition is co-sponsored by the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) and St. John’s University School of Law. The University of Texas School of Law took second place in the competition, and third-place honors were shared by teams from Emory University School of Law and Mississippi College School of Law. Emory University School of Law also won for Best Brief, and Abigail Emery of the University of Texas School of Law won the Best Advocate award.

The competition consisted of eight rounds of oral arguments and final rounds. ABI practitioners and academics coached many of the teams, and nearly 200 lawyers and federal judges donated their time and expertise to help judge the event. The fact pattern for the competition focused on two key developments stemming from chapter 11 case law. The first issue looked at whether 11 U.S.C. § 362 and related judicial code provisions impliedly repealed the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. §§ 1, et seq. The second issue focused on whether 11 U.S.C. § 362(c)(3)(A) applies to property of a debtor’s bankruptcy estate.

Final-round judges for the 2021 competition included ABI President and Bankruptcy Judge Barbara Houser (N.D. Tex., Dallas), Chief Bankruptcy Judge Cecilia G. Morris (S.D.N.Y., Poughkeepsie), Judge Bernice Donald of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (Cincinnati) and Chief Bankruptcy Judge Alan Trust (E.D.N.Y.; Central Islip). Bankruptcy Judge John T. Gregg (W.D. Mich.; Grand Rapids) and Paul Hage of Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss (Southfield, Mich.) drafted this year’s fact pattern.

The Duberstein Competition, named for the late Judge Conrad B. Duberstein, a St. John’s alumnus and former ABI director, has grown into the largest appellate moot court competition in the nation. ABI’s Endowment Fund awarded $12,000 in cash prizes for the winners during the final night gala virtual reception on March 1.

For more information on the Conrad B. Duberstein National Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition, please go to https://www.stjohns.edu/law/academics/centers-and-clinics/29th-annual-duberstein-bankruptcy-moot-court-competition.

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ABI is the largest multi-disciplinary, nonpartisan organization dedicated to research and education on matters related to insolvency. ABI was founded in 1982 to provide Congress and the public with unbiased analysis of bankruptcy issues. The ABI membership includes nearly 11,000 attorneys, accountants, bankers, judges, professors, lenders, turnaround specialists and other bankruptcy professionals, providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information. For additional information on ABI, visit www.abi.org. For additional conference information, visit http://www.abi.org/calendar-of-events.