The American College of Employee Benefits Counsel (ACEBC) and The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law (CUA Law), were proud to sponsor and host the second annual Ellen A. (Nell) Hennessy Moot Court competition held Saturday, February 23, 2019 at the Columbus School of Law. The competitors were judged by leaders in the ERISA field, including the Honorable Phyllis Borzi, former Assistant Secretary of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration; the Honorable George Bostick, former Benefits Tax Counsel, U.S. Department of Treasury; the Honorable W. Thomas Reeder Jr., Director, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation; and other employee benefits practitioners. Eight teams from six law schools competed for prizes:
• The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law
• Georgetown University Law Center
• The John Marshall School of Law
• University of Buffalo, School of Law
• University of Kentucky, School of Law
• Washington University Law School
The teams addressed issues arising from the denial of disability benefits under ERISA-covered plans, particularly the legal standards that courts should apply when reviewing a plan's claims denials.
The following winners include:
• First Place: The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, Claudia Shannon (2L)
and Kevin Sprenger (3E)
• Second Place: Georgetown University Law Center, Brent Bartlett and Anannya Tripathy
• Best Oralist: Georgetown University Law Center, Brent Bartlett
• Best Brief: Georgetown University Law Center, Brent Bartlett and Anannya Tripathy
• Best Brief Runner-Up: The John Marshall School of Law, Sam Hensel and Sarah Magill
The winning CUA Law team took home $1,500 to share and a plaque. The ACEBC is also paying the expenses of the winning team to attend its annual dinner, being held this year in Washington, D.C.
The event closed with a formal dinner for the participants, judges, and event organizers. This gave the participants an opportunity to network with some of the top employee benefit practitioners in the field.
Click here to view photos from the second annual Ellen A. (Nell) Hennessy Moot Court competition on CUA Law's Facebook page.
