Monday, April 06, 2009

 

Tom n' Ed do great


This weekend was the AAJ mock trial tournament, featuring a team of two great Baylor students Ed Cloutman and Tom Jacob, both of whom I have coached in prior tournaments. According to the Baylor Law Twitter feed (go figure-- who does that?), they came in third. This is a great outcome, as they made the break and then battled their way into the semis.

Still, I know these guys, and they probably feel rotten for having not won the whole thing. They shouldn't. First off, they did very well in a very tough national final. Second, the truth is that these things are pretty hit-or-miss: it is subjective judging by people who sometimes seem swayed by who has the nicest voice or the easiest answers or happens to be the most like they are. Many times, we have won the competitions we should have lost, and lost the ones we should have won.

Here's something else, too-- the thing about mock trial is that it is mock. Moot court is moot. For the rest of their working lives, Tom and Ed will be working on things that are neither mock nor moot-- they are going to doing things that make the world better, that help people, that make us all proud that they are from Baylor. It is with some confidence that I say that these two are among the very best students I have had in recent years, and that if I needed representation in court I would be comfortable counting on them with the skills and talent they can bring to bear right now. I'm proud of the people they are and will become, and that has nothing to do with third or eighth or forty-second.

As with Joel and Eric, if you have the chance to shake Tom or Ed's hand, do so, because in thirty years you can tell people you did.

Comments:
http://thomasgpaine.blogspot.com/
 
I had a chance to work with Tom in the fall. I also got a chance to go to Dallas with a team of second years that included Blair Knox, James Hatchitt, Abby Nettles, Carson Runge, and J-Smooth. I have also had the chance to watch Ed do various advocacy things many times this year. All of these folks were on the AAJ team, and it has been a pleasure to work with every single one of them this year.

Congratulations team, you have all made Baylor very proud.

I also worked with Alex Bell who has some loose affiliation with this team, but I have none of the feelings I described above about him. Mostly, he needs to buy bigger shirts.
 
Professor:

Indianapolis Mayor mugged in Detroit while attending Final Four. Apparently he was the victim of an international gang of professional pickpockets. No kidding.
http://deadspin.com/5200689/mayor-of-indianapolis-receives-hospitality-detroit-style

JB
 
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