students participating in the Desmond competition in the Letro Courtroom.

The Desmond Competition

For over three decades, this intramural competition gives participants the opportunity to argue a constitutional law case related to matters currently pending before the United States Supreme Court.

2023 Desmond Competition Results

The 2023 Charles S. Desmond Moot Court competition was held from October 26th to 28th with 25 teams participating.

There were over 60 local attorneys serving as judges. Professors Lucinda Finley, John Giammatteo, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Eldridge ’10 served as judges for the final round.

Winning Team: Katherine Kio ‘25 & Tyler Myszka ‘25
Runner-up: Victoria Heist ‘24 & Lexi Horton ‘24
Best Oralist in the Final Round: Tyler Myszka ‘25

Best Brief: Steven Burke ‘24 & Michael Gossel ‘25
Second Best Brief: Katherine Kio ‘25 & Tyler Myszka ‘25
Third Best Brief: Bryan Gilbert-Overland ‘24 & Nathanael Sniatecki ‘25
Fourth Best Brief: Cameron Moreano ’24 & Dylan Prendergast ‘25
Fifth Best Brief: Christian Soto ‘24 & Kelly Tripi ‘24

Best Oralist: Kelly Tripi ‘24
Second Best Oralist: Katherine Kraft '25
Third Best Oralist: Victoria Heist ‘24
Fourth Best Oralist: Nathanael Sniatecki ‘25
Fifth Best Oralist: Davis Anderson ‘24

Buffalo Moot Court Board Leadership

President: Haley Case
Vice-President: Elizabeth Hughes
Treasurer: Matt Mitchell
Public Relations Director: Jenna Wojdan
Desmond Competition Co-Chairs: Alex Blanco and Katharyn (Katie ) Bodie
Weschler Competition Co-Chairs: TBD

Faculty Adviser: Lucinda Finley

Contact Us
For additional questions or comments regarding the competition, please contact:

Buffalo Moot Court Board
University at Buffalo School of Law
404 O'Brian Hall, Buffalo NY 14260
law-bmcb@buffalo.edu

The Charles S. Desmond Moot Court Competition is the most prestigious appellate advocacy competition at the law school, attracting several local lawyers and judges to volunteer their time as judges.  Accomplished lawyers from Western New York and law school professors judge competitors’ oral arguments in the preliminary and semi-final rounds, while federal and state judges evaluate the finalists. Competitors also submit a written brief formatted using the rules to the United States Supreme Court.

Organized by the School of Law's Buffalo Moot Court Board, the Desmond competition is one of the most popular courtroom competitions the school offers. The competition is open to all second-and third-year law students annually.