ASU Law IP moot court teams celebrate landmark year of national wins

The Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University is celebrating a milestone year for its intellectual property moot court teams. They achieved strong results in national competitions, earning top awards including a first-place national championship.

Three teams represented ASU Law in IP-related moot court competitions during the 24-25 academic year: the Saul Lefkowitz Trademark Moot Court Team, the USPTO Patent Drafting Team and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board Inter Partes Review Team. The PTAB team with JD 2025 graduates Michael Nathanson and Zheyu “Joey” Li, won first place for Patent Owner’s brief in the national competition.

“To have just one IP moot court team compete would be an honor at any law school, but we had three teams,” said Jon Kappes, associate teaching professor. “One team placed first in the country for best brief and third overall nationally. Another team won its regional competition against other talented law schools and finished on top. A third team argued at the federal courthouse in the Central District of California before the sitting district court judges, winning best brief in the region. All in one year. I can’t imagine ever topping that.”

The Saul Lefkowitz team included upcoming JD third years Lidia Diaz Fong, Jacob Martinez and Josefina Garcia (JD '25). One team member, Fong, took her commitment to new heights. After preparing all fall with the team in Phoenix, she spent the spring semester at ASU Law’s Washington, D.C., campus. Despite the distance, she continued to participate in practices via Zoom. For the competition, she flew across the country to compete in person in California, then returned to D.C. the next day for class, a testament to the level of dedication these students bring.

The USPTO Patent Drafting Team, with Alessandra Gualtieri (JD ‘25), Kylie Snow (JD ‘25) and upcoming third-year JD students Tanner Murray and Ian Shaw also represented ASU Law with excellence.

Read More: ASU Law places in top five at USPTO 2025 National Patent Application Drafting Competition

The PTAB team not only won nationals but also had the unique experience of working with a sitting administrative patent judge. Each team in the competition was paired with a faculty advisor and a PTAB judge coach. Nathanson and Li were matched with Judge William Saindon (JD ‘06), an ASU Law alum and classmate of their faculty advisor, Professor Kappes.

“Judge Saindon was very helpful throughout the competition. We really appreciated his candid feedback and willingness to make time for practice arguments and reviewing draft briefs,” Nathanson said. “It was also fun to work closely with a practicing PTAB judge who went to ASU Law, because we were able to bond over our shared experiences and develop a strong relationship. We both plan to stay in touch with Judge Saindon as we start our legal careers.”

Prepping for Moot Court

Preparing for IP moot court is a yearlong effort that begins in early fall. Once teams are selected, they study a complex legal fact pattern, conduct extensive research and draft and edit legal briefs. Depending on the competition’s rules, some teams receive feedback on their written work while others must complete it entirely independently. Oral argument practice intensifies after the briefs are submitted. Often, students meet for two to three hours at a time, eight to 10 times, usually in the evenings after completing other school work.

From legal research and writing to live oral arguments, sometimes in federal courthouses, students spend hundreds of hours throughout the academic year preparing. Depending on the competition, teams might consist of two to four members. Student must balance the intense workload with their regular law school classes.

The PTAB Moot Court was one of the most time-intensive projects I have undertaken in law school,” Li said. “It is a rare competition that spans two semesters of the 3L year, requiring sustained commitment and focus. During this time, I had to manage rigorous research and brief-writing deadlines while simultaneously keeping up with my regular coursework and externship responsibilities. The experience challenged me to maintain high performance across multiple demanding areas and, more importantly, to trust both myself and my teammate throughout the process."

ASU Law’s overall success

In addition to the intellectual property teams, ASU Law achieved impressive results in other moot court competitions during the year, including:

• Best Brief at the International Trademark Association’s Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition, Los Angeles Regional
  
   
• First place at the USPTO’s 2025 National Patent Application Drafting Competition, Western Regional
  
   
• Top five finish at the USPTO’s 2025 National Patent Application Drafting Competition National level
  
   
• Best Oralist and 13th place out of 700 schools at the Philip C. Jessup Moot Court Competition Worlds, by Rachel Kaplan
  
   
• Second place at the Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition Nationals out of 40 teams
  
   
• Best Brief and third place at the New York City Bar Association’s 75th Annual National Moot Court Competition Regional round
  
   
• Fifth and sixth place out of 66 teams at the National Native American Law Student Association’s Moot Court Competition
  
   
• Fifth place out of 28 at the ABA Representation in Mediation Nationals

These results reflect ASU Law’s strong tradition of competitive advocacy and the dedication of its students across diverse legal disciplines. 

Written by Crystal Jimenez