The 37th Annual Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition (NELMCC) at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University once again brought together hundreds of law students, legal scholars, and practicing attorneys for one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious interschool moot court competitions. This year, 48 schools from across the country participated, with Lewis & Clark Law School emerging as the 2025 NELMCC Champions.
Since its founding in 1989, NELMCC has established a national standard for excellence in environmental moot court competitions. Each year, competitors tackle a complex, timely legal problem that reflects pressing issues in environmental law. The 2025 NELMCC Problem, authored by Elisabeth Haub School of Law Professor Todd Ommen, presented competitors with a unique, timely, and complex case. The compelling proposed scenario included examining the Clean Water Act, standing, the EPA’s Water Transfers Rule, existing case law, and more. In addition to the problem itself, the bench memo, which serves to help guide volunteer judges through the argument and competition was authored by Haub Law Environmental Law Fellow Daniel Dorough.
Prior to the competition, competitors research and analyze the issues presented in the environmental problem before writing persuasive arguments for one party (either the government, a public interest group, or a member of the regulated industry) advocating how the issues should be resolved. Competitors are then required to argue the issues orally for all three parties during the three-day competition, rounding out the rigorous academic experience.
Each year, Haub Law students have the honor and responsibility of leading the competition; this year, Haub Law student Francesca Gugino served as Chair. She was supported by a Haub Law student team and a group of Bailiff volunteers, while Assistant Director of Pace | Haub Environmental Law, Lorraine Rubich, oversaw the competition’s successful delivery.
“We look forward to holding this prominent competition each year,” said Achinthi Vithanage, Associate Director of Environmental Law Programs and Professor of Law for Designated Service in Environmental Law. “The student competitors prepare for months in advance for this rigorous academic exercise, as does our support team at Haub Law. Additionally, many of our judges include past competitors and Haub Law alumni who have been returning as volunteers for over 20 years. I am confident that there is no other competition like NELMCC, which brings along with it a dynamic energy and passion for the intricacies involved in environmental law.”
I am confident that there is no other competition like NELMCC, which brings along with it a dynamic energy and passion for the intricacies involved in environmental law.
Over the course of the three-day competition, participants, coaches, and judges had opportunities to network and engage in broader discussions on environmental law. An environmental career session was hosted by the ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, and a CLE was hosted by Sive, Paget & Riesel. Haub Law also hosted a White Plains environmental alumni reception to coincide with the competition, allowing alumni who return for the competition each year to reconnect. Additionally, this year, NELMCC served as the platform to award the Nicholas Robinson Award for Distinguished Environmental Achievement to Haub Law alumni Peter Casper ’01. Created in honor of Professor Nicholas A. Robinson, founder of the Law School's environmental law program, who has made outstanding contributions in the field of environmental law both in the U.S. and abroad since 1969, the Robinson Award was established in 2005 to recognize alumni of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University who have made significant contributions to environmental law.
This year, the final round was presided by three judges: the Hon. Malachy E. Mannion, US District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania, the Hon. Joseph A. Marutollo, United States Magistrate Judge, Eastern District of New York, and the Hon. Sarah A. L. Merriam, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, CT. After the final round, the esteemed judges provided invaluable feedback to all teams, reinforcing NELMCC’s commitment to prepare students for real-world environmental litigation and advocacy.
The Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition is grateful to the organizations and people whose generous financial support help make the event possible. This year, we were pleased to have the following major supporters: The American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER) and AlterEcho.
Finalists and Award Winners
The finalist teams for the 2025 NELMCC were:
- Lewis & Clark Law School
- Louisiana State University, Paul M. Herbert Law Center
- University of California, Davis School of Law
At the end of the competition, the following individuals and teams were recognized for their outstanding performances:
- David Sive Award for Best Brief Overall: Berkeley School of Law
- Best Oralist: Karrecia Crawley, Team 25, Drake University Law School
