For additional information, please contact:
Professor Kevin Eberle and Professor Frank Ulmer [Moot Court Advocacy]
Professor Suzanne Chapman {Trial Advocacy]
Professor Jean Steadman (Transactional Law Team Program)
Students can earn course credit for external advocacy competitions through the listed courses, described more fully below:
Other External Competitions
Please note: Participation in external competitions is considered a co-curricular activity. Students not participating on behalf of an already existing advocacy program must receive faculty approval in advance of the competition. Students who are interested in participating in a relevant competition must schedule a meeting with the Associate Dean of Students to complete the necessary documentation to request faculty approval. Because faculty meet monthly during the fall and spring semesters, students should meet with the Associate Dean and submit their request no less than 2 months before the competition date.
This course offers the members of the Transactional Law Team [TLT] experience and practice in drafting, marking up and negotiating transactional documents in anticipation of participation in CSOL internal and external competitions. The course will include workshops, boot camps and guest speakers as well as weekly assignments. Students will use practice problems to prepare and hone their drafting and negotiation skills. Successful completion of the course is a prerequisite to competing in any TLT competition, which typically occur in the spring semester.
This course will be open to both the 2L and 3L TLT members. Each member will have the right to compete in an internal competition as a 2L and an external competition as a 3L. Taking into account the number of national/external competitions and the budget needs for such, the number of members should remain fairly low to ensure that each member is granted access to a competition.
Tryouts and selection for TLT will occur prior to the start of the Fall Semester allowing for new members to add this class prior to the end of the Add/Drop period. Interested students should be alert to any communication about the tryouts for detailed information.
The tryouts occur in three phases: (1) sample contract provision drafting exercise; (2) mark-up contract provision exercise; and (3) a live negotiation exercise. The current TLT members will grade and rank the exercises. The TLT members use standardized grading matrixes for all exercises.
Applicant students will submit their drafts and mark-ups to the faculty member who will assign an anonymous number to each before they are distributed to the current TLT members for grading and ranking. This alleviates any possible favoritism or bias. The grades for the contract drafting exercise and mark-up exercise will be compiled prior to the final live negotiation, which will, of course not be anonymous. The current TLT members will judge the negotiations and grade and rank them. Thereafter the scores are tallied, and the new members are chosen.
The new members of the TLT will be notified by the Chair of Application Process & Recruitment.
Satisfactory completion of the Trial Advocacy: Mock Trial Course is a prerequisite to competing in any Trial Advocacy competition; satisfactory completion of the Appellate Advocacy: Moot Court Course is a prerequisite to competing in any Moot Court Advocacy competition. These competitions typically occur in the spring. For those competitions occurring in the fall, students are able to compete concurrently with the course.
This course offers the members of the Mock Trial Advocacy Board experience and practice to prepare for external competitions, as well as for the practice of law, such as learning and practicing trial preparation; direct and cross-examination techniques; open statements and closing arguments; making the record for appeal; and evidentiary motions, including making objections.
This course offers the members of the Moot Court Advocacy Board experience and practice to prepare for external competitions, as well as for the practice of law, such as learning and practicing reading the record on appeal, Researching and Drafting briefs, and learning and practicing oral argument skills.
Tryouts and Selection
Tryouts and selection for the Trial and Moot Court Advocacy Boards will occur prior to the start of the Fall Semester allowing for new members to add this class prior to the end of the Add/Drop period. Interested students should be alert to any communication about the tryouts for detailed information.
The Fall Selection Process will be in accordance with the organization’s bylaws and conducted by the members of the respective Board.