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Moot Court Basics
What is moot court?
Moot court is a student competition simulating appellate advocacy. Our program competes in tournaments run by the American Moot Court Association (AMCA), which hosts competitions for oral advocacy as well as a separate brief-writing component. The AMCA provides students with a fictional fact pattern and a list of selected Supreme Court precedents for advocates to read and apply. Each AMCA case features two constitutional issues, with one co-counsel per team addressing each issue.
What does competition look like?
Students form teams of two co-counsels each. They argue in front of panels of Justices who pose questions to the advocates and score them on their knowledge, courtroom demeanor, question responses, and clarity of argument. Before the round, it is randomly determined which side of the case (Petitioner or Respondent) advocates will argue, so they must learn both sides of the argument.
What does a typical round look like?
In oral advocacy, each competitor presents for a total of 10 minutes, totaling 20 minutes per side, in the following order:
Petitioner Issue 1
Petitioner Issue 2
Respondent Issue 1
Respondent Issue 2
Rebuttal (Petitioner)
Why join moot court?
Through moot court, students learn invaluable skills in public speaking, legal argumentation, and the process of reading and applying legal precedent. Alumni from AMCA have gone on to the most prestigious law schools in the country. Through UMCAB, students can also find a tight-knit community of like-minded individuals interested in law and justice.