Academic Competitions
Students at the UNM School of Law have many opportunities to hone writing, oral advocacy, and other practice skills outside of the classroom in a variety of academic competitions, including moot courts, mock trials, negotiation competition, and tax practice competition.
Moot Court
Moot court competitions expose participants to the appeals process. Students are presented with a legal problem and a set of facts. Paired participants write a brief in support of one side or the other and then argue the case before a panel consisting of judges, attorneys, and law professors. The many benefits that come from participating in a moot court competition include:
- Developing appellate advocacy and litigation skills;
- Conducting in-depth research and preparing arguments on both sides of a case;
- Learning to "think on your feet";
- Honing legal analysis and persuasive speech skills;
- Having an excellent experience to include on a resume for job searching.
Mock Trial
Students interested in becoming a trial lawyer are encouraged to try out for the National Mock Trial competition. Participants learn how to prepare witnesses for trial, develop their style in direct and cross-examination, and conduct opening statements and closing arguments to a jury.
Note: Repeating a competition - Law Students who have received credit for participating in an interscholastic competition will not be allowed to participate for credit in the same competition in subsequent years.
For more details regarding academic credit, selection of participants, and reimbursement of expenses, please see the UNM Law School Bulletin & Handbook of Policies.
Funding
Students participating in a moot court, mock trial, or practice skills competition for credit receive a stipend to offset the costs of travel to an in-person competititon. Stipends may not cover all expenses. Except in rare circumstances, students may only receive one stipend per their law school career. To check the amount of the potential stipend and their eligibility, students should consult with the Financial Aid Officer before joining a team.
Competition Descriptions
To view competition course descriptions visit the UNM School of Law Course Descriptions page.
ABA Negotiation Competition
Course Type:Competition
Family:Competition
Description:
The ABA Law Student Division Negotiation Competition promotes greater interest among law students in legal negotiation and provides a means for them to practice and improve their negotiating skills. The competition simulates legal negotiations in which law students, acting as lawyers, negotiate a series of legal problems. The simulations consist of a common set of facts known by all participants and confidential information known only to the participants representing a particular side. All the simulations in the competition stay within the area of law chosen for the year; the negotiation situations vary with each round and level of the competition adding additional facts.
Web Site
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/law_students/events/competitions/negotiation/
Coach
Bridget Hazen and Dathan Weems
Eligibility and Team Size
2L and 3L students only. Team members are required to be ABA student members. There will be up to two teams of two students.
Be a Better Negotiator - Join the Negotiation Team - Friday Deadline!
Earn a credit hour while refining your skills! Join the ABA Negotiation Competition Team!
Interested? Submit a simple letter of interest and a resume by Friday, August 29, at 6:00 PM. Interviews will be scheduled the following week at the law school.
More about the letter of interest:
- Please email your letter to dathan@weemshazenlaw.com and bridget@weemshazen law.com.
- We need to know a little bit about you, your interest in negotiation, and what you bring to the team. Include in this letter a candid assessment of your ability to meet during weekdays, weekday evenings, and weekends. This is not a writing competition so do not overwork this letter. The letter should be about one page and not more than two pages.
- Do not overwork your letter.
- The competition will be over one weekend in October, TBD. Probably the weekends of October 17-19, 24-26 or maybe Oct 31 to November 2.
- You have to be able to travel to the competition.
- We will practice twice per week beginning immediately. We will be flexible around the team members' other obligations.
- We are serious about making the most of your time and ours. Plan to work hard (but not unreasonably so).
Kelly Invitational Trial Competition
Course Type:Competition
Family:Competition
Description:
Competition Description:
The Judge Paul Joseph Kelly, Jr. Invitational Trial Competition is hosted by Fordham University School of Law. Teams consist of two students who prepare both sides of a federal criminal problem. Each team will advocate both sides of the case at least once. The advocate who delivers the opening statement for the prosecution will deliver the closing argument for the defense, and the advocate who delivers the closing argument for the prosecution will deliver the opening argument for the defense.
Number of Participants allowed to represent UNM:
Teams of two students
Rules and Deadlines:
Check the website to see updates to competition dates. It is anticipated that dates will be in a similar timeframe.
National Moot Court Competition
Course Type:Competition
Family:Competition
Description:
Course Description
The ABA Law Student Division National Appellate Advocacy Competition emphasizes the development of oral advocacy skills through a realistic appellate advocacy experience. Competitors participate in a hypothetical appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The competition involves writing a brief as either respondent or petitioner and then arguing the case in front of the mock court.
Website
Coaches
Attorney Ed Ricco and Tim Atler
Students who are eligible
2L and 3L students only
Dates and timeline overview
The regional competitions run from mid-February to early March. Teams that advance from the regional competitions will compete in the national finals in early April in Chicago.
Try-out details
The coach(es) create a tryout problem and have applicants write a brief based on the problem. The selection process begins early in the fall semester because the team must be in place by early November.
What to Expect
The ABA releases the national competition problem in early or mid-November. Briefs are due in early January. The regional oral argument competition occurs in four or five venues around the country during late February or early March; teams usually get their first or second choice of venue. For teams that survive the regionals, the national oral competition is held in Chicago in April.
From soon after the problem is released, students should expect to be involved in intensive research on difficult, current issues of the sort that would engage the U.S. Supreme Court. They can expect to discuss the problem and the brief with the team coach(es) and faculty members. Their research will be turned into a polished appellate brief. The coach and faculty may provide guidance on the team’s analysis of the problem, but they are prohibited from providing assistance in writing or editing the brief. This effort will consume considerable time during winter break.
After the brief is submitted, students can expect to spend several evenings per week through January and February developing, refining and presenting oral arguments on both sides of the problem to panels drawn from faculty members and local judges and practitioners. They will learn how to think on their feet and can expect helpful and incisive commentary from the coach(es) and panel members.
Team members will see their appellate advocacy skills grow commensurately from their hard work and can expect to have fun at the oral arguments.
Thurgood Marshall Moot Court Competition(TMMCC)
Course Type:Competition
Family:Competition
Description:
The Thurgood Marshall Moot Court Competition is sponsored by the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) and is open to 2L and 3L students. It takes place primarily during the Fall semester. Over the course of approximately 3 months team members will learn about appellate process and appellate brief writing, and each two-person team will complete one appellate brief involving complex issues of Federal and Constitutional law. The students will then have the opportunity to present their arguments orally to judicial panels at the Regional Competition with the possibility of advancing to the National Competition.
The oral competitions take place during the Spring semester.
This competition requires that participating students have been a member of both their local BLSA chapter and of NBLSA during the academic semester prior to the one in which they register as competitors.
Please contact coach Sara Thompson at srthompson@cabq.gov for more information.
Williams Institute Moot Court
Course Type: Competition
Family: Competition
Description:
Judges Katherine Wray & David Murphy are seeking students to form a team or teams to participate in the UCLA Williams Institute Moot Court Competition. The Williams Moot Court competition provides an opportunity for students to write briefs and argue a case related to issues surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity. UNM School of Law has sent teams to compete since 2010. This Moot Court will afford students the chance to meet and make arguments in front of a number of experienced local attorneys and judges.
Competition details are forthcoming, but participants can expect to work on their briefs from December through February, participate in 2-3 oral arguments a week in February and March, and the competition will be in Los Angeles in March. Some competition information can be found here: https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/programs/moot-court-competition/about-moot-court/
Website: https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/moot-court-competition/
Coaches: Judge Katherine A. Wray and Judge David Murph
More about the letter of interest: To apply, please submit a letter of interest no later than October 14 to Alejandra Gallegos at agallegos@law.unm.edu.
