NewsMarch
27, 2001 Lieutenant Governor to Participate in High School Moot Court CompetitionLOS ANGELES - Lt. Governor Mazie Hirono will serve as a judge in the third annual Loyola Law School and Dr. Edison H. Miyawaki Moot Court Competition. Six high schools from the Hawaii area will participate in the competition to be held Saturday, April 2, 2001 at Cornuelle Auditorium, Punahou High School, Honolulu. The six are Iolani, Kaimuki, Moanalua, Pearl City and Punahou high schools and Sacred Heart Academy. Now in its third year, the Competition provides youths with the opportunity to learn hands-on about the legal process. Held in a courtroom-like setting, the mock trial addresses a hypothetical case based on a real U.S. Supreme Court case and is judged by a panel of Loyola Law School of Los Angeles alumni and faculty. Similar to law school-level moot court competitions, the participants will argue both sides of a case in a preliminary round. The victors then proceed to a final round, and then to the presentation of awards. While providing young people with an esteem-building, memorable experience, those coordinating the program hope the competition also inspires high school students to pursue college and legal studies. The competition is named in part after Dr. Edison H. Miyawaki, who along with his wife Sallie has been instrumental in establishing the educational outreach program. Dr. Miyawaki is a former trustee of Loyola Marymount University's (LMU) -- the law school's parent institution and the university where Miyawaki earned his bachelor's degree in pre-med. Miyawaki is chairman, president and CEO of The Family Health, Inc., a long-term care and rehabilitation company he founded in 1973 at Nuuanu Hale Hospital; the partial owner of Enterprise Bank based in Bellevue, Washington; a co-owner of the Kansas City Chiefs NFL team, and a benefactor of Loyola Law School. Iolani High School was named the competition's year 2000 champion; Sacred Hearts Academy came in second. Last year's competition was presided over by Governor Ben Cayetano, who is a Loyola Law School graduate, class of 1971. This year, several Loyola Law School graduates (who are attorneys practicing in Hawaii) will serve as judges in the preliminary and final rounds: James Ashford, Joe Azzaro, Mitch Burns, Mark Kawata, Deborah McNulty, Tim McNulty and Allen Williams. Those presiding over the final round will be Loyola Law School's Dean David W. Burcham and Professor of Law Christopher May, and the Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii Mazie Hirono. # # # |