Albany Law School will host 27 teams from law schools nationwide at the 32nd Annual Domenick L. Gabrielli National Family Law Moot Court Competition. The event is scheduled for Friday, February 28, and Saturday, February 29, 2020.

This year’s problem–prepared by competition chair Brian J. Palamar ’20–will address: whether the changed circumstance rule should apply where the present custody arrangement was entered pursuant to stipulation of the parties, without an adversarial hearing; and if the rule does apply, whether the petitioner sufficiently demonstrated a material change in circumstance, where one parent is having the very young child treated with antidepressants, which may be potentially harmful to the child’s health.

A total of 21 law schools will be represented at the Gabrielli Competition:

Brooklyn Law School
Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
Florida Coastal School of Law
Florida State University College of Law*
New York Law School*
New York University School of Law
Northeastern University School of Law*
Quinnipiac University School of Law*
Samford University, Cumberland School of Law
Seton Hall School of Law*
University of California, Hastings College of Law
University of Cincinnati College of Law
University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law
UIC John Marshall Law School
University of Mississippi School of Law
Villanova University, Charles Widger School of Law
Wake Forest University School of Law
Widener University Commonwealth Law School*
Widener University Delaware Law School
William & Mary Law School
William S. Boyd School of Law – University of Las Vegas
*2 teams

Teams that advance to the final round on February 29 will argue in front of a bench of three esteemed judges, all Albany Law school alumni: Hon. Leslie Stein ’81, New York State Court of Appeals; Hon. Richard Rivera ’91, Albany County Family Court; and Hon. Christina Ryba ’91, New York State Supreme Court, Third Judicial Department.

The 2019 competition was won by Florida Coastal School of Law.