The winners of the 2014
Rutan & Tucker Golden Gavel Competition
are first year Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law students Jeremy Talcott
(JD ’16)
representing the defendant and Charles Henninger
(JD ’16)
representing the plaintiff. The competition, sponsored by Rutan & Tucker, provides an opportunity for first year Fowler School of Law students to participate in a rigorous mock oral argument, building core advocacy and research skills. Students compete against each other before panels of volunteer judges consisting of sitting judges, practicing lawyers, professors and members of
Fowler’s Appellate Moot Court Board
.

winners-with-judges


For the competition, students argue a brief they drafted relating to whether the participation clause of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’s anti-retaliation provision extends to protect alleged harassers and if so, whether the defendant employer retaliated against the alleged harasser by creating a severe or pervasive hostile work environment.

The competition began with the entire first year class of 157. Out of those 157 students, 32 advanced to the quarter-final rounds. Of these 32 students, eight students advanced to the semi-final rounds on Monday, April 21, 2014. Four students represented the defendant: Lorin Herzfeldt
(JD ’16)
, Christopher Lapidus
(JD ’16)
, Marcus Sweetser
(JD ’16)
and Jeremy Talcott
(JD ’16)
. Four students represented the plaintiff: Rachel Greenberg
(JD ’16)
, Charles Henninger
(JD ’16)
, Chelsea “Jade” McKenzie
(JD ’16)
and Jessica Roundy
(JD ’16)
. After one round, the field was narrowed to two students for the defendant, Herzfeldt and Talcott, and two students for the plaintiff, Roundy and Henninger.

Talcott and Henninger advanced to the final round on April 22, 2014 where they argued before community judges, professors, and members of Fowler’s Moot Court Board.