Amanda Auricchio ’17: On the Other Side of the Gabrielli Appellate Advocacy Competition

Amanda Auricchio ’17 spent the fall of her final year of law school as Chair of the Domenick L. Gabrielli Appellate Advocacy Moot Court Competition. After taking part in the competition during her 2L year, she gained a new understanding of the event by experiencing it from an administrative position.

“I have so much respect for the moot court board. It takes a ton of work and patience to organize the several competitions from start to finish,” said Auricchio.

“The topic sparked an interest in some students, which led them to enroll in immigration classes or the immigration clinic during the spring semester.”

As the competition Chair, Auricchio was responsible for writing the case problem, which would be briefed and argued by more than half of the 2L class. She began in June and by October a final copy of the competition problem was released to the participants. Even though the scenario she created was fictional, it was based on the very current issue of immigration law.

“The problem was immigration related. Given the specific nature of the problem, most competitors did not have experience with it, putting everyone on the same footing. The topic sparked an interest in some students, which led them to enroll in immigration classes or the immigration clinic during the spring semester,” said Auricchio.

The competition, held this past fall, was made up of 28 teams, with two students on each team. One of Auricchio’s many jobs was grading each team’s 20-page brief at the beginning of the competition. Along with the other administrators, Auricchio helped arrange for local judges to take part in the Gabrielli competition.

“Oral arguments are competitive, but both teams come out laughing. The Albany Law community is a little different. The students really have each other’s backs and cheer for each other. I didn’t notice it when I was competing, but sitting from an outside perspective I was better able to appreciate it,” she said.

After completing her 2L year, Auricchio began working as a summer associate for Couch White, a private law firm specializing in litigation, energy, and corporate law. She rotated through the company’s three branches in 12 weeks, not only discovering her interest in corporate law but also accepting a job offer at the company after graduation.

“The Albany Law community is a little different. The students really have each other’s backs and cheer for each other.”

“I crafted corporate documents. The partners let me go at it, even though it was totally new to me. Through the help of associates, I was soon in a position to try things myself. I was confident in my research and writing, but corporate documents were so different to me. It took 10 to 20 revisions to get to the final product, and even still that might not have been the final product. It was my favorite rotation and felt like the line of work I hope to pursue after graduation,” said Auricchio.

Auricchio is vice president of the Italian American Law Student Association, Executive Editor for Coordinating & Operation of the Albany Law Review Editorial Board, and is currently completing a field placement with U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart in the Northern District of New York.

“The extracurriculars made my law school experience whole,” she said.

Auricchio commutes about 45 minutes each day to Albany Law from her home in Amsterdam. She spent her first year of undergrad in California and the next three in the Bronx at Fordham University. Now closer to home than ever, Auricchio reflected on her experience, saying, “You don’t have to go far to find what you love.”