Jackson, MS - Mississippi College School of Law second-year students, Tray Hairston and Ashley Nader won the 16th Annual Judge Conrad B. Duberstein Moot Court Competition, the nation 's only moot court competition devoted entirely to bankruptcy law. Jonathan Bissette assisted in writing the team's brief.

"It is truly an honor to win this Competition, and something I will cherish for years to come," said Nader, who also won a Best Oralist Award. "I am truly grateful to our coaches for their outstanding guidance, and to all of the (MCSOL) faculty and local attorneys and judges who helped us prepare."

"This will definitely be one of the highlights of my law school career," Hairston added. "I can't thank everyone enough for preparing us to succeed, because we couldn't have done this without their help."

Law students, Kelly Hollingsworth and Amy Strickland were national semifinalists, and placed third overall in the competition. Clifford Ammons assisted in writing their brief. MCSOL teams actually competed against each other in the competition's semifinals.

Dean Jim Rosenblatt knows the caliber of students in the Moot Court Board program at MCSOL. "We are very proud of our teams and pleased with their success in this national competition. Our team members worked hard and devoted many precious hours preparing for the competition. Their coaches--Bill Leech and Danny Ruhl along with Professor Gordon Christy--invested in our teams and guided them in their advocacy," said a joyful Dean Rosenblatt.

Additionally, Nader and Hollingsworth received Best Oralist Awards at the competition, and Strickland, Hollingsworth and Ammons received a Best Brief Award. MCSOL was the only law school with two teams in the final four of the Duberstein competition, and the only school to win two Best Oralist Awards, and also a Best Brief Award.

Bill Leech, a shareholder at Copeland, Cook, Taylor & Bush, has coached MCSOL's Duberstein teams for the past eleven years, while Danny Ruhl, also of Copeland, Cook, Taylor & Bush, has coached the teams the past two years. MCSOL Professor Gordon Christy served as an advisor to the law school's 2008 Duberstein Competition teams.