Courtroom Showdowns: Community Support Meets National Competition at WVU Law
Fictional cases. Real results. Two WVU Law student teams are testing their legal smarts in national competition.
August 21, 2026
Mountaineer football isn’t the only West Virginia University team in the spotlight.
Just uphill from Milan Puskar Stadium, in the WVU College of Law, two student organizations are prepping for competition.
One is the Moot Court Board, where students argue to uphold or overturn lower court decisions.
The other is the Marlyn E. Lugar Trial Association, where they fight to prove innocence and guilt.
Of course, the cases are fictional. Nobody is sent to prison, and no laws are actually overturned.
“At the end of the day, everyone gets to walk out of the courtroom,” said Teaching Associate Professor Melissa Giggenbach, faculty advisor for the Lugar Trial Association. “These teams show students how to handle high pressure situations in a low stakes environment.”
But the sweat, the hours of preparation, the nervousness of competition, and the lessons learned are all very real.
The impact on student careers is real, too. Because the competitions simulate real court cases, they walk away ready to hit the courtroom.
“One thing students gain is specialized practice,” said Teaching Associate Professor Robert Rogers, faculty advisor for the Moot Court Board. “If you want to be a prosecutor or defense attorney, you approach cases in a way a more generalist lawyer doesn’t. It’s a unique skillset.”
A consistent theme for student success: great mentorship.
It starts with faculty advisors and other WVU Law professors, who lend their extensive knowledge of the law to polishing the students’ courtroom skills. Because both organizations are co-curriculars, students earn course credit for their participation.
Beyond the walls of the law school, however, a network of WVU Law community partners and alumni also stands ready to assist.
“The coaching these students receive is very, very important,” said attorney Steve New.
A WVU Law alumnus and former member of both the Lugar Trial Association and Moot Court Board, New is one of many coaches helping train the next generation.
“It was tremendous having experienced lawyers and judges guide us as students through that learning process,” New said. “I know how helpful Lugar and Moot Court were for me in my career as a litigator. It’s important that small firms like mine give back right alongside the larger firms.”
Based in Beckley, New coaches both teams remotely, supervising court rehearsals and assigning tasks before coming to Morgantown for in-person practice when competitions draw near.
The most important lesson he teaches? “There’s no substitute for preparation. Preparation, preparation, preparation. Rarely can you overprepare for a hearing, trial, or appellate argument. I’ve carried that with me for almost 30 years now. Joining these teams is a tremendous opportunity for law students to learn important lessons in a safe environment.”
“We give students a case, a coach, and practice – but they have to write the brief, then stand up and argue it. Rogers said. “These organizations offer them leadership experience and the chance to practice being lawyers.”
Olivia Giacono-Wright can testify to that.
During her third year, she was a member of the competition team sponsored by Steptoe & Johnson that took second in the National Regional Moot Court Competition. Her team was also awarded Best Brief.
“My teammates and I were challenged by writing a brief based on a complicated qualified immunity issue and were then tasked with arguing against talented teams from other law schools in our region,” Giacono-Wright said. “We could not have accomplished all this without help from our coach, Garrett Spiker, and the support of Steptoe & Johnson.”
Kaden Stenger is another success story from WVU’s competition teams. A high school math teacher turned law student, he marked his final year in law school by participating in the Texas Young Lawyers Association’s National Trial Competition.
“Participating in the Lugar Trial Association made the material I learned in law school tangible,” Stenger said. “When I prepared for trial competitions, it built deep ownership in my education and future in the practice of law. Being coached by premier attorneys in the state is one of the most invaluable learning experiences a WVU Law student can have.”
Stenger will begin his career with a federal clerkship for the U.S. Northern District of West Virginia. Giacono-Wright is beginning hers in medical malpractice defense with Linkous Law, PLLC.
Those are just two success stories. There are many, many more: post-competition career placements include federal and state judicial clerkships, as well as positions with family law practices, civil litigation practices, and public defender offices.
None of it would be possible without the support of West Virginia coaches and sponsors.
In 2026, law firms like Steptoe & Johnson and Pullin Fowler Flanagan Brown & Poe assisted the teams by bringing in outside speakers and judges, practicing with students before competitions, and helping cover travel expenses. In addition to his work as a coach, New also provided a matching fund during WVU’s Day of Giving, pledging $32,500 for both teams.
“Our advantage lies in our community,” Giggenbach said. “We have trial ad boot camps in the fall where practitioners or other law professors will come and give our students a refresher on the rules of evidence. Then, if they’re going to an out-of-house competition, local lawyers will sign up to be their coaches.”
The wins don’t come easy. But Mountaineers don’t want easy wins.
“Seeing our students hold their own against teams from larger law schools is a tremendous source of pride,” New said.
“My hope for these programs is that more lawyers will get involved so we can send more future litigators to competitions around the country. It’s incumbent on every one of us, no matter what we do, to give back.”
MEDIA CONTACT:
Andrew Marvin
Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing, WVU College of Law