For the first time in school history, Booker High School is officially represented in the Florida Bar’s prestigious High School Moot Court Competition — and not by one team, but by two. Each team is composed of two students from the BHS Law Academy, marking a major achievement for the program.
Unlike the statewide High School Mock Trial Competition, in which the Law Academy competes annually, this parallel competition challenges students to argue cases before appellate judges, mirroring real-world appeals practice. To qualify, both Booker teams submitted a formal 25‑page legal brief yesterday, responding to a fictitious case crafted by members of The Florida Bar Law Related Education Committee.
Please join us in congratulating and wishing the best of luck to:
Ava Donoghue
Allie McLaughlin
Otto Bucholtz
Julius Velez
The next phase of the competition will take these students to oral arguments before judges in each of Florida’s six District Courts of Appeal. Teams that advance to the semifinal round will argue before the First District Court of Appeal, and the statewide final round will be held at the Florida Supreme Court.
Go Tornados!