American Heritage’s Moot Court Team Ranks First in the Nation

The Moot Court team, part of the Pre-Law Program from American Heritage Schools, Palm Beach Campus, has been ranked FIRST in the nation by the National Association of Moot Court.

They are the highest-ranked team from all regional competitions by the NAMC, and this is the team’s highest national ranking to date. It has earned them a spot at the NAMC National Tournament, where they face off against the four best teams in the nation for a chance to be crowned national champions.

“Congratulations again on the exceptional performances of your competitors. At the conclusion of NAMC’s first regional season, American Heritage School is the highest-ranked school in the nation. That is a truly remarkable achievement, and NAMC is lucky to have your program bringing such a high level of competition to the circuit.” - Faiz Surani, Vice President (UCSB)

The Moot Court team's recent accomplishments include Champions at the 2023 University California - Santa Barbara Moot Court; 2nd, 3rd, and 4th places at the 2023 Yale Moot Court; and Top 8 at the 2023 Princeton Moot Court. Previous recognitions include a Championship at the 2022 Yale Moot Court Champions; competing at the Florida Bar High School Appellate Brief Writing & Moot Court Competition Finals every year the state has held the competition; winning the Moot Court Championship in Florida for four years in a row, from 2015 to 2019; and winning the Best Brief Awards in Florida in 2012 and 2014.

“We are thrilled! Although we take great joy in the learning process and the relentless practices, being ranked first in the Nation is a great validation of our hard work.” shared attorney Ani Porter, Director of the Pre-Law Program at the Palm Beach Campus and Mock Trial and Moot Court coach. “This team has the benefit of many years of past successes in Moot Court. Additionally, what really sets us apart is our collaborative approach when we prepare for competition. Although the teams are made up of two students, the teams practice and challenge each other while preparing, which raises the level of knowledge and expertise for all of our teams.”

We are so proud of our students, and the attorney/coaches Mrs. Ani Porter, Mrs. Kelly Harris, Mr. Adam McMichael, and Mrs. Rinku Tribuiani, who helped them reach this accomplishment!

The 2022 - 2023 Moot Court team members include:

Michael Mikati (9)
Caitlyn Yaralli (9)
Isabella Arribasplata (10)
Evan Lui (10)
Phoebe Shatkin (10)
Luis Edelstein (10)
Olivia Robbins (11)
Sophia Masnikoff (11)
Tanay Warrier (11)
Pooja Gudoor (11)
Bryan Li (11)
Anna Shullman (11)
Lindsay Brauner (11)
Daniel Bednar (12th)
Rebeca Lopez-Anzurez (12th)

Pre-Law Program Attorney Coaches:

Ani Porter (Mock and Moot Court)
Kelly Harris (Mock and Moot Court)
Adam McMichael (Mock Trial)
Rinku Tribuiani (Mock Trial)

The Moot Court team is headed to the NAMC National Tournament on May 20th, a weekend filled with events including the American Heritage Schools Class of 2023 graduation and the National Mock Trial Competition in Little Rock, Arkansas. These events are all on the same weekend, which means losing the seniors and almost all of the juniors! However, the brilliant younger students are very excited to show their knowledge and skills and will be stepping up that weekend!

The National Association of Moot Court is the governing body for high school moot court. NAMC provides high school students across the nation with an opportunity to gain experience in appellate advocacy. 

About the Pre-Law Program at American Heritage Schools
American Heritage Schools’ Pre-Law Program is a 4-year honors program taught exclusively by practicing attorneys and judges. Each year students take unique law school-level courses that no other high school offers, such as Trial Advocacy, Constitutional Law, Homicide Law, and Criminal Law. The program culminates in a senior year internship during which students experience the practice of law in real life. Seniors leave campus a few times per week to rotate through different law firms, agencies, offices, and courtrooms throughout South Florida. They also visit judges in Circuit Court, the County Sheriff's Office, the State Attorney's Office, the Public Defender’s Office, and the United States Attorney’s office. The connections that the seniors make with practicing judges and attorneys are invaluable and often result in future law school acceptances and employment.