KU News Release

LAWRENCE — A team from the University of Kansas School of Law captured second place at the National Criminal Procedure Tournament.

Third-year law students Bonnie Boryca and Stephanie Lovett-Bowman rose to the top of a field of 40 teams from law schools across the country at the competition, held Nov. 5-7 at the University of San Diego School of Law. Boryca and Lovett-Bowman beat Boston College in the semifinals and then lost to Stanford in the final round.

“They were fabulous,” said Jean Phillips, clinical associate professor of law and team adviser. “I am very proud of all their hard work.”

Moot court competitions test law students’ skill and agility in arguing legal issues that reflect real-world situations. For this competition, students presented oral arguments in a hypothetical criminal case before the fictional U.S. Court of Appeals for the 13th Circuit regarding appeals by a college student being prosecuted for possession with intent to sell a controlled substance. Competitors were asked if the district court improperly allowed the admission of evidence obtained during an illegal search and whether the court improperly determined a third party’s right to consent to a search. In preparation, Boryca and Lovett-Bowman spent hours bolstering their advocacy skills in oral argument practice rounds at the law school.

Boryca said the competition felt like running a marathon. After competing Thursday and Friday evenings, she and Lovett-Bowman learned at midnight on Friday that they had advanced to the quarterfinals and would compete again at 8 a.m. Saturday.

“I knew we were headed to the finals when a semifinal judge asked the other side about a recent Ninth Circuit case that had never come up before and that our competitors did not know,” Boryca said. “I knew Stephanie had a brilliant answer, and when he threw her the question she hit it out of the park.”

It was an honor to make it to the final round amid a group of such experienced, eloquent teams, Lovett-Bowman said.

“Bonnie deserves most of the credit for our success,” Lovett-Bowman said. “She is a natural speaker, and she is always thoroughly prepared. I never saw her get rattled, even as we tired of arguing the same case over and over.

“The competition refined my advocacy skills and boosted my confidence. While I still have a lot to learn, the experience will undoubtedly give me more confidence when I represent a real client.”

A California appeals court judge, a retired federal appeals court judge and a partner at DLA Piper, one of the largest law firms in the United States, judged the final round.

The KU team members are listed below by their hometowns:

JOHNSON COUNTY AND MISSOURI
From Lenexa, Kan. 66215 and Kansas City, Mo. 64151
Stephanie Lovett-Bowman is the daughter of Richard Lovett and Carol Lovett. She earned bachelor’s degrees in journalism and political science from KU and graduated from Park Hill High School.

NEBRASKA
From Omaha 68134
Bonnie Boryca is the daughter of John and Ann Jacobsen. She earned bachelor’s degrees in English and philosophy from Creighton University and is a graduate of Omaha Northwest High School.