The final rounds of the 2023-2024 Florida Bar High School Appellate Brief Writing & Moot Court Competition were held in Tallahassee on April 2-3. The competition is conducted by The Florida Bar Law Related Education Committee and Appellate Practice Section. The two-part program offered a unique opportunity to learn about the appellate process and what it is like to present a case in a true-to-life court experience. Students participating in the competition wrote briefs on a fictitious case involving student discipline and evidence, which were graded by practicing attorneys and six teams were invited to present oral arguments before appellate judges of the First District Court of Appeal on April 2. A statewide final round between the top two teams was held at the Florida Supreme Court the following day, April 3.

The State Champion of this year’s Appellate Brief Writing and Moot Court Competition was the team of Matthew Rodriquez and Jacob Zeng. Led by attorneys Nikki Laurie and Laura Burkhalter, the team from American Heritage School – Broward, was judged the best in Florida by all seven Florida Supreme Court Justices in the final round.

Also recognized were Competition Finalists, Ethan Williams and Zoe Priolo, from Bell Creek Academy. Matthew Rodriquez was also recognized as the Best Oralist in the Final Round.