UCLA School of Law, Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles partner Otis Felder, cochair of the firm’s LGBTQIA+ resource group, had the honor of presenting the championship certificates and honorarium – sponsored by Wilson Elser – to the winning team of the 19th Annual Williams Institute Moot Court Competition. The event was held as part of the Williams Institute’s Annual Update Conference at UCLA School of Law on April 4, 2025. Widely recognized as the nation’s premier and longest running moot court competition dedicated exclusively to sexual orientation and gender identity law, the event drew top student advocates from law schools across the country. The 2025 competition concluded with a first-place victory for Michigan State University College of Law. Team members Gabby Sheets and Noah Martin, coached by Professor Heather Johnson, demonstrated outstanding advocacy and legal reasoning throughout the tournament. The final round was adjudicated at the UCLA School of Law by a distinguished panel of judges, including Hon. Victoria Kolakowski of the Alameda County Superior Court – the first openly transgender judge appointed in California and the first elected transgender judge in the United States – and Hon. Michael Weinstein and Hon. Esther K. Ro of the Los Angeles County Superior Court. The Williams Institute Moot Court Competition continues to offer law students a unique and meaningful opportunity to engage with complex legal issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community, while cultivating the next generation of thoughtful skilled legal advocates.