The Marden Competition provides a unique opportunity for competitors to develop advocacy skills, earn academic credit, and compete for cash prizes while participating in a highly regarded moot court tournament.
About the Competition
The Marden Competition is a moot court competition in two rounds. In the preliminary rounds, held in the fall, individual students take sides in a hypothetical appeal before a Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. Students must write a brief on their assigned side and then argue both for and against the position they briefed before panels of practitioner judges in October.
The semi-final and final rounds, held in the spring, feature the top advocates from the preliminary rounds. Students are assigned to teams, where they argue a two-question moot court problem. The top four students have the opportunity to argue the case before a panel often including a Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
The Marden Competition problem is carefully selected to highlight an unsettled area of the law. Each semester, Casebook Division members write an original record, as well as lower court opinions. These problems are then published in the Moot Court Casebook for the coming year.
The competition is named for Orison S. Marden (1906-1975), a distinguished alumnus of the NYU School of Law who served as a trustee of the Law School’s Foundation for fifteen years. While a partner at White & Case New York, Marden served as president of both the New York City and State Bar Associations, and was a founder and president of the New York Legal Aid Society. In addition, Albert Podell, the Moot Court Board’s patron, has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Board and its work for many years. In his honor, an Albert Podell Prize is awarded to each the best oral advocate, best brief-writer, and best overall Moot Court Board member participant.
The Marden Competition is judged by panels of distinguished NYU alumni and legal practitioners from throughout New York. All judges receive CLE credit for their participation. We’re always looking for more judges, so if you are a practicing attorney in the New York area please contact us!
Past Winners
SPRING 2024 MARDEN WINNERS
Abe Evans ’25 – Finalist, Best Oral Advocate and Best Brief
Lauren May ’24 – Finalist
Charlotte Kahan ’25 – Finalist
Lydia Schiller ’25 – Finalist
FALL 2023 MARDEN WINNERS
Abby Draper ’24 – Best Oral Advocate Award
Charlotte Kahan ’25 – Best Brief Writer Award
Rachel Schwartz ’25 – Best Moot Court Board Competitor Award
SPRING 2023 MARDEN WINNERS
Elizabeth Bays ’23 – Finalist, Best Oral Advocate
Jake Gold ’24 – Finalist
Ryan Schaffer ’24 – Finalist
Aditya Trivedi ’24 – Finalist
FALL 2022 MARDEN WINNERS
Ryan Schaffer ’24 – Best Oral Advocate Award
Cade Mallet ’24 – Best Brief Writer Award
Wendy Leben ’24 – Best Moot Court Board Competitor Award
SPRING 2022 MARDEN WINNERS
Garrett Donnelly ’22 – Finalist
Jenna Pearlson ’22 – Finalist
Zachary Sanders ’23 – Finalist
Katie Zavadski ’23 – Finalist, Best Oral Advocate
FALL 2021 MARDEN WINNERS
Garrett Donnelly ’22 – Best Oral Advocate Award
Zachary Sanders ’23 – Best Brief Writer fAward
Matthew Dorfman ’23 – Best Moot Court Board Competitor Award
SPRING 2021 MARDEN WINNERS
Arijeet Sensharma ’22 – Finalist
Joseph DiPietro ’22 – Finalist
Jackson Frazier ’21 – Finalist, Best Brief Award
Jennifer Thompson ’21 – Finalist
FALL 2020 MARDEN WINNERS
Emily Sun ’21 – Best Oral Advocate Award
Arijeet Sensharma ’22 – Best Brief Writer Award
Julia Bruce ’22 – Best Moot Court Board Competitor Award
SPRING 2020 MARDEN WINNERS
Jessica Allen ’20 – Finalist
Sam Dunkle ’21 – Finalist
Maxwell Peck ’20 – Finalist, Best Brief Award
Linnea Pittman ’20 – Finalist