For a law student, winning a national moot court championship is like winning the Super Bowl. And Charleston School of Law students recently did it an astounding six times in a row. Teams of students argue cases in front of judges to simulate situations in a real courtroom – in this case, it was tax law, though other disciplines of law have their own moot courts. This year’s winners, Anna Boning and Tyler Gilliam, have the distinction of being the first team to repeat the feat, and win the competition for the second time.
Boning says it takes dedicating a lot of time, a lot of energy and a lot of Saturdays. Gilliam revealed that training helped the students anticipate the tricks the judges would use to try to throw them off their arguments and confuse them. But they prevailed, thanks to the tutelage of Professor Kristin Gutting, who prepared all six championship teams. She operates on the philosophy that “if you’re gonna do it, you’re all in, or you’re not in at all.”