4. Welcome from Chair

WELCOME FROM THE MOOT COURT BOARD CHAIR

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to The Thirty-Third Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition, which is convening for the first time virtually! On behalf of the NELMCC Board and all of the faculty that made this year's competition possible, we are so happy to have you weather the storm and join us in this new virtual medium. For those who have competed before, we are delighted to have you back. For those who are joining us for the first time, thank you for choosing to spend your time preparing for this competition; you won't be disappointed. Each of you continues to impress us year after year with your dedication, mastery of the Problem, and polished public speaking.

This competition would not be possible without the efforts of Pace faculty, staff, and students. This year, we would like to applaud you for all of the creative thinking, problem-solving, and research you put into bringing NELMCC to the virtual stage. Lorraine Rubich, the Program Manager, Inga Caldwell, the Associate Director of Pace's Environmental Law Programs, and Anne Olson, the Program Coordinator, were at the helm of these efforts. Dedicated, tedious, supportive individuals like you three are why the competition is successful year after year. We would also like to thank Professor Karl Coplan, the author of this year's Problem, and our faculty advisory, along with Sarena Malsin, who assisted Professor Coplan in these efforts. We are so thankful for all of the time and expertise you contribute to the competition. Additional thanks go out to Antonio Soares, who has helped us overcome every hiccup in the competition's virtual reincarnation.

I want to give a big thank you to the NELMCC Board for their unwavering support and hard work: Jennifer Kelly-Kennedy and Regina Rubino, Co-Vice-Chairs of Judges; Sydney Byers and Maxwell Kellermueller, Co-Vice-Chairs of Grading and Scoring; Rachel Cregier and Maria Profeta, Co-Vice-Chairs of Hospitality; Austin Nalaboff, Jessica Roberts, and Melanie Schlosser, Co-Vice Chairs of Rules; Alejandra Mihic and Madison Roberts, Co-Vice-Chairs of Bailiffs; and Jillian Aicher, Vice-Chair of Fundraising. It has been incredible to see each of you bring your talents and strengths to each of your positions. You made the transition from an in-person to virtual competition seamless and continue to impress me with your balance of leadership in this competition and your academic endeavors. This competition would not be impossible without you. I would also like to acknowledge the incredible outpouring of first and second-year students who served as committee members. It is excellent to see the immense amount of interest you have all shown in becoming involved in our esteemed environmental law program. You have all went above and beyond, and we cannot wait to see each of you in a leadership role next year!

A thank you is also well deserved to the editors and members of Pace Environmental Law Review, Pace Law Review, and Pace International Law Review. Thank you to the editors for facilitating such successful and efficient grading and to the associates who spent time over their winter break to cite check the briefs.

A special thank you to the attorneys who have set aside time to be here with us and take on such a large role in our competition as judges and grading briefs. It is a privilege to have such bright legal minds involved in the competition to give competitors legal and moot court advice to apply to their academic and professional careers. I want to extend our utmost gratitude to those joining us as final round judges - you make the final round so professional and memorable for all competitors and spectators.

In the Fall of 2019, I became involved in NELMCC and could not have foreseen how formative this competition would be in my time at law school. NELMCC is an incredible opportunity to engage with bright legal minds in the environmental field, a fantastic opportunity to network, and a competition that serves as a constant reminder of the environmental law field's breadth and intrigue. I am so thankful that all parties involved in this competition were able to make it happen virtually. Let this time be a reminder of the incredible legal work to be done, even still from our homes. I am pleased to welcome you to NELMCC 2021. Best of luck to those competing, and please remember to enjoy! Your hard work will shine through!

Best,

Audra Gale