The LSU Law National Pretrial Competition team members are (from left to right) Valkyire Buffa, Alex Domingue, Hunter DeVillier, and Quinn Hamilton.
The LSU Law National Pretrial Competition team placed as one of the top eight teams in the nation at this year’s competition, which was held virtually due to the pandemic.
The team, which consists of LSU Law students Valkyire Buffa, Alex Domingue, Hunter DeVillier, and Quinn Hamilton, squared off against teams from Georgetown University Law Center, Golden Gate University School of Law, Charleston School of Law, and Regent University Law School, ultimately falling in the quarterfinal round by the slimmest of margins to the Regent team. The team was coached by Advocacy Fellow Danny Bosch and Professor Jeff Brooks.
The National Pretrial Competition is a hybrid of traditional moot court and mock trial competitions. The team first researched and wrote memoranda of law on a motion to dismiss in a criminal immigration case. The team then conducted an evidentiary hearing about whether the criminal defendant should be detained prior to trial — they examined witnesses, presented evidence, made objections, and presented summations on the issue of pre-trial detention. Following the evidentiary hearing, the team presented an oral argument on the original motion to dismiss the case.
