University of Texas School of Law - Peregrinus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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Spring Fling This year's Spring Fling was a semi-formal casino party held on Feb. 25 at the Metropolitan Club. The event included the Jesse Dean Oliver Student Auction. Students had a chance to bid on a multitude of prizes donated by their favorite professors. Items included gifts donated by law firms from around the state and dinners cooked and served by professors. The party began at 9:00 p.m. on the 13th floor of One American Center, overlooking downtown Austin. Music was provided by a local disc jockey. There was complimentary wine and beer as well as a late night breakfast buffet. 8 — Spring Fling

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Admiralty Moot Court Competition first in nation From March 10-12, 1994, the University of Texas School of Law played host to the inaugural Judge John R. Brown Admiralty Moot Court Competition. This competition is the first national interscholastic moot court competition based on Admiralty law. and will take place on an annual basis. In future years, the competition will be held at various law schools throughout the country under the joint sponsorship of the UT Law School and the local host school. The University of Texas worked closely with the Houston firm of Roys-ton, Rayzor, Vickery Williams to establish this admiralty competition in memory of Judge John R. Brown, a judge on the Fifth Circuit for nearly forty years and one of the nation's most prominent admiralty judges. Major funding for this year’s competition was provided by Royston, Rayzor, Vickery Willimas and was administered by the Board of Advocates, the student-run advocacy organization. BOA Chair Cindy Olson Bourland served as Competition Director, while Professors Ratliff, Sturley and Robertson made up the Competition Committee. Additionally, Professors Sturley and Robertson wrote the problem for this year’s competition. The competition drew an impressive turnout in its first year, with nine schools from across the country sending a total of 11 teams to compete. The final round was held on Saturday, March 12 in the Courtroom with an impressive panel of judges. Two U.S. District Court judges, a judge and a former judge from the Fifth Circuit and an Associate Justice from the Supreme Court of Texas officiated. Tulane University School of Law and South Texas College of Law battled it out in the final round, with South Texas emerging victorious from a very close match. Scores were determined both by oral advocacy and brief scores, which may have made a difference in the outcome of the final since South Texas also won the Best Brief competition. A dinner honoring Judge Brown was held Saturday evening at the Four Seasons Hotel. Awards were given both for Best Brief and Best Brief on the Opposing Side, both of which went to South Texas teams. Edward Vickery of Royston, Rayzor awarded the Best Oral Advocate Plaque, since Judge Brown practiced with the firm before his appointment to the bench in 1955. Vera Brown, widow of Judge Brown, presented the Finalist Plaque to Tulane University and the Championship Trophy to South Texas College of Law. The 1994 Admiralty Competition was extremely successful, with competitors commenting on how well run the competition was and on the quality of such distinguished and knowledgeable judges. — Laura Parchman phoiot tf John foiworth Michael Sturley. James Ross. Dean Mark Yudof. Kathleen Goodman, Natalie Tise. Monica Vaughan. Vera Brown. Brown presents Championship Trophy to winning team. Admiralty Moot Court — 7

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ph o« by John formrV Spring Fling — 9