Candace Embry of Philadelphia Wins National Moot Court Competition as Part of Widener Law Team

2013 Mar 18

Three students from the Widener Law campus in Wilmington, Del. have won the 25th annual Domenick L. Gabrielli National Family Law Moot Court Competition, held at Albany Law School.

Students Candace Embry, Jessica Keough and Brian McCarthy took top honors Saturday, March 2 at the three-day event that attracted 24 teams. The Widener Law team advanced through seven rounds to win the competition, beating the team from Southern Illinois University School of Law in the final.

"This doesn't happen without talent, dedication and hours and hours of long, hard work. Everyone gave 150 percent and it paid off beautifully," Associate Professor Leslie A. Johnson said. She coached the team with Assistant Professor of Legal Methods Rebecca L. Scalio.

The fictitious case involved a state welfare child services department that wanted to remove a 13-year-old morbidly obese child from her home. The child weighed 325 pounds and her mother had been unable to comply with court-ordered treatment for the girl to lose weight.

The five-judge panel that presided over the final round included sitting and retired jurists from the New York Court of Appeals, New York Supreme Court, the Schoharie County, N.Y. Family Court and an Albany Law professor.

"Our students did a fantastic job and I applaud their success. They are a fine example of the caliber of students who compete on behalf of Widener Law," Law Dean Linda L. Ammons said. The team consisted of:

Candace Embry of Philadelphia, Pa., 19126. She will graduate in May 2014 and is interested in civil litigation. "This was truly an amazing experience. When they announced the winners, I had to process the information for a moment before I realized that we won. Competing is more than a test of preparation," Embry said. "It's also a test of personal endurance and confidence, and conviction in your arguments in front of a panel of unknown challengers."

She is married to Seth Embry and is the daughter of Carolyn Jones of Glenside, Pa.

View a video of the students speaking about their experience here.

Download a headshot of Embry here. Download a headshot of McCarthy here. Download a headshot of Keough here.

Widener University is a metropolitan university that connects curricula to social issues through civic engagement. Widener provides an all-around comprehensive legal education program with special certificates available from its Health Law Institute, the Law & Government Institute, the Taishoff Advocacy, Technology and Public Service Institute, and the Institute of Delaware Corporate and Business Law and through its Environmental Law Center. Widener Law has two locations: the Wilmington, Del. campus, which opened in 1971, and the Harrisburg, Pa. campus, which opened in 1989. Visit law.widener.edu for more information.