The School of Law annually participates in several national moot court, trial advocacy, and negotiations competitions. Administered by the Board of Advocates, these programs provide 2L and 3L students a unique opportunity to hone their written and oral advocacy skills—skills integral to the real-world practice of law.

Moot Court

Moot court is appellate advocacy, where students argue a hypothetical case on appeal to the Supreme Court, a circuit court, or a state supreme court. Each experience demands of participants the ability to write clearly, speak persuasively, and think quickly. Teams are primarily chosen based on student performance in the University of St. Thomas School of Law Intramural Moot Court Competition held each September.

In a short period of time, the School of Law has developed high-performing moot court teams with a strong record of success at the following competitions:

• Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition
• American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Competition
• New York City Bar Association National Moot Court Competition
• Evans A. Evans Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition
• Giles Sutherland Rich Intellectual Property Moot Court Competition
• William E. McGee National Civil Rights Moot Court Competition

Trial Advocacy

Participants in trial advocacy competitions gain excellent experience practicing actual trial skills before distinguished members of the bench and bar. Last year, the School of Law fielded mock trial teams at the following competitions:

• American Association for Justice Student Trial Advocacy Competition
• Texas Young Lawyers Association National Trial Competition

Negotiations

And finally, negotiations competitions simulate legal negotiations in which law students, acting as lawyers, identify legal and factual issues, develop strategies, and negotiate a series of problems. The School of Law sends teams to the following competitions each year:

• American Bar Association Law Student Division Negotiation Competition