<p>Delaware's only law school will open its doors Thursday, March 22 to students from 19 law schools for a national interscholastic moot court competition. <br /><br />The much-anticipated 19th annual&nbsp;Ruby R. Vale Interschool Corporate Moot Court Competition will involve 24 teams and run four days. Moot court competitions allow students to practice skills in a competitive setting that they may eventually use as attorneys making appellate arguments. Students also write briefs in advance of the competition on a topic supplied by the law school in the form of a legal problem. <br /><br />The Delaware competition introduces participants to the cutting edge of corporate law. As the state's only law school, Widener is in a unique position to draw on the resources and experience of the distinguished Delaware corporate legal community. The competition is hosted by Widener University School of Law's Moot Court Honor Society under the direction of the society's executive board and competition chairperson Susan Huntley. Competition advisors include Lawrence A. Hamermesh, the Ruby R. Vale professor of corporate and business law and director of the school's Institute of Delaware Corporate &amp; Business Law, and Widener Law Professor Paul Regan. Regan authored this year's competition problem. <br /><br />"Widener's location in the corporate law capital uniquely positions the Law School to put on a first-class event. We have a sophisticated bench and bar who have a special closeness to the subject matter and have been generous in giving of their time and expertise to support this competition," Huntley said. "I look forward to welcoming tomorrow's corporate legal minds to our school." <br /><br />The Distinguished Scholar Lecture is an integral part of the competition and the Society is honored to have Ira M. Millstein, Esq. as this year's speaker. He will deliver a speech titled "The grand bargain: Law, shareholder rights, and accountability in the capital markets" on Friday, March 23 at 4 p.m. in the Ruby R. Vale Moot Courtroom in the main law building. <br /><br />The final competition round will be judged by Delaware Supreme Court Justices Carolyn Berger, Jack B. Jacobs and Henry duPont Ridgely, and Delaware Court of Chancery Vice Chancellors Stephen P. Lamb and John W. Noble. <br /><br />The competition is named for Ruby R. Vale, who lived in Milford, Del. and practiced law in Philadelphia. He was a well-respected corporate practitioner and a prolific writer who penned law review articles, books about legal philosophy, justice and the foundations of society. He is best remembered for his multi-volume work, "Vale's Pennsylvania Digest." Vale died in 1961. The law school is grateful to the Vale family and for the opportunities their generosity has made possible, such as this national competition. <br /><br />This year's competition participants come from the following law schools:</p>
<ul>
<li>American University Washington College of Law</li>
<li>Brigham Young University - J. Reuben Clark Law School</li>
<li>Brooklyn Law School</li>
<li>Capital University Law School</li>
<li>Chicago-Kent College of Law</li>
<li>College of William and Mary - Marshall Wythe School of Law</li>
<li>Florida State College of Law</li>
<li>Georgia State University College of Law</li>
<li>Marquette University Law School</li>
<li>Mercer University - Walter F. George School of Law</li>
<li>Mississippi College of Law</li>
<li>New York Law School</li>
<li>Quinnipiac University School of Law</li>
<li>Santa Clara University School of Law</li>
<li>Southwestern Law School</li>
<li>University of California Hastings College of Law</li>
<li>University of Oregon School of Law</li>
<li>University of Miami School of Law</li>
<li>University of Wisconsin Law School</li>
</ul>