One of the Florida-Georgia week traditions will not be held this year because of a lack of funding.
The Hulsey-Kimbrell Moot Court competition has pitted moot court teams from the universities of Florida and Georgia for the past 31 years.
Mark Hulsey, a 1948 graduate of the University of Florida Levin College of Law, and Charles Kimbrell, a 1947 graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law, founded the competition 30 years ago to give law school students some real-world experience in the courtroom.
“We try to emphasize that you shouldn’t go in to this profession to make a lot of money,” Hulsey said at the 2008 event, explaining why the competition was developed.
Both of the founders of the event have died. Hulsey died in July.
“I can understand the cancellation of the moot court for this year given Mark Hulsey’s death. It is such an enjoyable event for the participants and spectators — two competing institutions, excellent legal problems and vigorous high-level argument — that popular demand should ensure its continuation,” said U.S. Court of Appeals Circuit Judge Gerald Tjoflat, who has been a part of panels judging the competition.
“I understand that steps are being taken right now to ensure that the event will be held in 2012,” he said.
Smith Hulsey Busey shareholder and event organizer Lanny Russell explained that $12,000 needs to be raised to hold the event. The money pays for the lodging and travel of the teams.
“In this tough economy it has been difficult to raise the funds,” said Russell. “We are working hard to have a competition next year, so hopefully it will only be a one-year break.”
Both schools look forward to the competition returning.
“Both (UF) Dean (Robert) Jerry and I are disappointed the competition will not be held this year. In this economic environment, we have to make tough decisions about allocation of resources, and unfortunately, this competition was one that we decided to discontinue,” said Dean Rebecca White of the University of Georgia School of Law.
“Should resources be forthcoming in the future to support the competition, we both would be delighted to see it reinstated,” she said.
While the moot court competition did serve to give law students practice in a real-world setting, it also gave fans of the following Saturday football game an idea of who might win.
Throughout the 1990s, the team that won the moot court competition would lose the football game.
That trend changed with Florida winning football and moot court in 2005 and ‘06, and Georgia winning the football and moot court in 2007.
In 2008, Georgia won in the court, but lost on the field. Florida came back in 2009 with wins in court and on the field. Georgia came close to two wins in 2010, but the Gators won in overtime to earn the split.
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