Hispanic National Bar Association and HNBA Legal Education Fund Announce the Winners of the 17th Annual Uvaldo Herrera National Moot Court Competition

WASHINGTON, April 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) and The HNBA Legal Education Fund (The Fund) would like to thank our wonderful student participants, coaches, and esteemed guest judges of the 17th Annual Uvaldo Herrera National Moot Court Competition in Jersey City, New Jersey. The Competition, held in conjunction with the 2012 HNBA Midyear Corporate Counsel Conference, offered the opportunity for students from law schools across the country to brief and argue a case pending in the U.S. Supreme Court before panels of distinguished federal and state court judges and experienced attorneys. This year, the HNBA and The Fund were extremely proud to offer the largest award ever for the competition: $20,000 in scholarships for the law students.

The HNBA and The Fund congratulate the winners of the 17th Annual Uvaldo Herrera National Moot Court Competition:

1st Place Petitioner Brief: Baylor Law School
Laura Hernandez, Jose Magana, and Glory Rosario

2nd Place Petitioner Brief: Seton Hall University School of Law
Javier Diaz, Cristal Reyes, and Jason Santarcangelo

1st Place Respondent Brief: University of Colorado Law School
Vanessa Devereaux, Tonya Luna, and Katherine Nelson

2nd Place Respondent Brief: University of Illinois College of Law
Sara Benson, Kyle Harmon, Peter Henderson, and Kaitlyn Luther

1st Place Oral Advocate: Jose Magana (Baylor Law School)

2nd Place Oral Advocate: Alex Gonzalez (South Texas College of Law)

3rd Place Oral Advocate: Jackie Alvarenga (South Texas College of Law)

HNBA Moot Court National Champion ($8,000): Baylor Law School
Laura Hernandez, Jose Magana, and Glory Rosario

HNBA Moot Court National Runner Up ($6,000): Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Sonia Antolec, Aaron M. Arce Stark, and Cynthia Herrera

HNBA Moot Court National 3rd Place ($4,000): Syracuse University College of Law
Zela Brotherton, George Gomez, Javier Lopez, Jose Perez

HNBA Moot Court National 4th Place ($2,000): University of Illinois College of Law
Sara Benson, Kyle Harmon, Peter Henderson, Kaitlyn Luther

The Moot Court Competition also provided students with invaluable networking opportunities with the several hundred attendees at the Midyear Conference, including judges, professors, in house and outside counsel, and other professionals. The HNBA would like to especially thank Eric H. Jaso and the Honorable Alberto Rivas, Moot Court Co-Chairs, for their work in putting the Competition together, and all of our honored judges of the Competition.

"We are so incredibly proud of this year's Moot Court Competition winners and all of the participating students, who represent the future of the HNBA and of the legal profession," said Benny Agosto, Jr., HNBA National President. "Fostering the pipeline of Latino law students is one of the HNBA's greatest and most important missions, and this year's competitors showed a magnificent amount of talent, professionalism, and commitment to justice and the law. We are honored to count these promising young people and future leaders in the legal profession among our HNBA family."

This year, students wrote briefs and presented oral arguments on a case based on the pending Supreme Court case of United States v. Jones. Students briefed and argued the propriety of the warrantless use of GPS devices by law enforcement to track suspects. The issue is complex and nuanced and requires an analysis of the Fourth Amendment's "search and seizure" provision. The Moot Court Problem was prepared by top appellate practitioners from the Gibson Dunn LLP law firm in Washington, D.C.

About the Hispanic National Bar Association

The Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) is an incorporated, not-for-profit, national membership organization that represents the interests of the more than 100,000 Hispanic attorneys, judges, law professors, legal assistants, and law students in the United States and its territories. From the days of its founding three decades ago, the HNBA has acted as a force for positive change within the legal profession. It does so by encouraging Latino students to choose a career in the law and by prompting their advancement within the profession once they graduate and start practicing. Through a combination of issue advocacy, programmatic activities, networking events and educational conferences, the HNBA has helped generations of lawyers succeed.

SOURCE Hispanic National Bar Association