Murrysville law student takes part in national moot court competition in New York City

James Capone was anticipating a career in mechanical engineering — having earned a degree and started a job — when he was unexpectedly let go by the company where he was working due to cutbacks during the covid pandemic.

“After that happened, I worked at my sister’s law firm as a paralegal while I tried to reassess my plan,” said Capone, 26. “That’s when my sister suggested I pursue a career in law, and I ran with it.”

In fact, Capone ran all the way to the Cardozo BMI Entertainment and Media Law Moot Court Competition, held in late March in New York City. Capone was part of a team from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he is in his second year. The Franklin Regional graduate also revived the school’s Intellectual Property Law Association, where he serves as president, and will be working as a summer associate this year with Downtown law firm K&L Gates.

Pitt’s team wasn’t able to advance into the later rounds of the moot court competition, but Capone spoke with the Tribune-Review about preparing for the competition and his plans for a future in the legal world. This interview has been edited for length.

Q: What type of law would you like to ultimately practice, and why?

A: I am going into patent law. This stems directly from my undergraduate degree. It allows me to utilize my education in an exciting environment. The nature of patents ensures that I am always working with fresh inventions. This will keep the job engaging and mentally stimulating.

Q: How did you train for this competition?

A: We ran practice oral arguments to prep for the competition. We were lucky enough to practice in front of three judges. It was an incredibly special situation. Aside from these group practices, we had meetings discussing how we should frame our argument and how to answer our most challenging questions. I also listened to oral arguments at the Supreme Court to learn from those real-life examples.

Q: What was the biggest challenge in prepping for it?

A: Outside of the anxiety of competition, the biggest challenge was utilizing the record. The competition revolves around oral arguments that are supported from facts in the provided record. The record is intentionally ambiguous at parts to leave room for arguments. It was hard to create convincing arguments that overcome any of the weak spots in the record. Any gap in the record can be used by the judges against us, so we needed to have an answer ready for every possibility.