The 39th Annual Florida/Georgia-Hulsey/Gambrell Moot Court Competition will be held on Friday, November 1 at 9:30 a.m. at the Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse in Jacksonville.
Law firms Smith Hulsey & Busey and Smith Gambrell & Russell LLP sponsor the event in honor of the late Mark Hulsey, a partner with Smith Hulsey & Busey, and E. Smythe Gambrell, a founding partner of Smith Gambrell. Gambrell was president of the American Bar Association and the American Bar Foundation. Hulsey served as president of The Florida Bar and the Jacksonville Bar Association.
The competition between the University of Florida Levin College of Law and the University of Georgia School of Law is held annually on the eve of the Florida-Georgia football game and has become a tradition in the Jacksonville legal community.
Two law students from each school compete in a mock appellate case replicating current but unresolved Florida-law issues before the Florida Supreme Court. The appeal for this year?s competition concerns (1) whether a ?trash pull? that reveals evidence of a drug crime is independently sufficient to establish probable cause and (2) whether the State may prohibit individuals from smoking medical marijuana in private places.
The victors in the case earn bragging rights and the championship trophy to keep at their law school for the year. The tournament record stands at 23 wins for Georgia, 11 wins for Florida and two ties.
The panel of participating judges in this year?s competition are:
- The Honorable Gerald Bard Tjoflat, Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals
- The Honorable William Theodore Moore, Jr., District Judge for the Southern District of Georgia
- The Honorable Marcia Morales Howard, District Judge for the Middle District of Florida
- The Honorable Lisa Godbey Wood, District Judge for the Southern District of Georgia
- The Honorable Brian Jordan Davis, District Judge for the Middle District of Florida
The competition is open to the public and spectators are welcome.
Follow us on
for more content updates