Pepperdine Caruso Law Team Advances to International Sports Law Arbitration Moot Competition Grand Finals
Pepperdine Caruso School of Law students Tatiana Valente and Charlotte Henderson advanced to the Grand Finals of the International Sports Law Arbitration Moot (SLAM) Competition, held at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland on April 23-24.
Organized by London-based LawInSport in partnership with Kellerhals Carrard, the SLAM Competition is one of the world's premier sports law advocacy competitions. This year's competition attracted 77 teams from 30 countries, which competed through written pleadings on a complex anti-doping dispute, then oral arguments in online hearings before expert advocates in the multiple qualification rounds. The top eight teams advanced to compete in person at the International Sports Dispute Resolution Conference in Lausanne.
The eight finalist teams, representing six countries, advanced from the original field of 77 entrants through written rounds and regional oral finals. The quarterfinal and semifinal rounds were heard before panels of fifteen CAS arbitrators, providing students with a unique opportunity to advocate in a setting that closely mirrors actual international sports arbitration proceedings.
As part of the competition, participants demonstrated their legal analysis, brief-writing, and oral advocacy skills in a complex athlete anti-doping dispute. Teams submitted written memorials and later argued both claimant and respondent positions before panels of CAS arbitrators and leading sports law professionals.
The Pepperdine Caruso Law team delivered an outstanding performance, advancing to the Grand Finals and finishing tied for third place overall, alongside the University of Chicago. Their achievement placed Pepperdine Caruso Law among the top-performing sports law advocacy teams in the world and reflects the school's continued excellence in international sports law and dispute resolution.
Professor Maureen A. Weston served as faculty coach and advisor to the SLAM team and to Pepperdine Caruso Law's Entertainment, Media, and Sports Competitions Advocacy Program.
Additional information on the competition may be found at LawInSport