Moot Court / Trial Advocacy

In 2005, the S.J. Quinney College of Law formed the Lawyer Competition Program (LCP) to serve as an umbrella organization to coordinate both intramural and extramural competitions in which our students participate, and to distribute information to students regarding competitions.
Students typically receive one credit, pass-fail, for their participation in a competition. Under the current policy, students who advance to a second (i.e., national) round of a competition and thereby engage in an additional 50+ hours of work may receive one more credit. Preference for participation in all extramural competitions will be afforded to third-year students, although second-year students are eligible for a number of the competitions described below.

From time to time, the Lawyer Competition Program and its advisory committee may choose to enter teams in extramural competitions other than, or in addition to, those listed below, with notice to be provided to students in advance. If you have any questions about a particular competition, please feel free to contact the faculty advisor for the competition in which you are interested.

I. Appellate Competitions

A. Intramural:

Traynor Moot Court Competition
One Credit, Pass-Fail, Spring Semester
Faculty Advisor: Troy Booher

Second- and third-year students are eligible to enroll in the Traynor Moot Court Competition, an intramural competition in which students, in teams of two, write an appellate brief and participate in at least two rounds of oral argument. The problem is distributed in mid-January and students are given approximately one month to complete their brief. The preliminary oral argument rounds, judged by local practitioners and judges, will be held the morning of Saturday, February 27th, 2010. The top eight teams who advance to the elimination rounds will argue in two rounds on the morning of Saturday, March 6th, 2010. The competition culminates in an argument between the top two teams held in late March or early April before a panel of three prominent judges, including the Distinguished Jurist-in-Residence. The top six second-year students in the Traynor Moot Court Competition are invited to represent the law school in the National Moot Court (NMC) Competition the following year. The third-year students serving on the NMC team also assist with problem drafting, brief grading, and organizing the oral argument rounds of Traynor.

B. Extramural:

National Moot Court
One Credit, Pass-Fail, Fall Semester
One Credit, Pass-Fail, Spring Semester
Faculty Advisor/Contact Person: Troy Booher

As indicated above, the top six student performers after the completion of Traynor in the spring (the four finalists and two other students based on scores) are asked to join the National Moot Court (NMC) team for the following year’s competition. The NMC students, in turn, are divided into two teams of three. Each team usually receives the moot court problem in September, and submits a completed brief by mid-October. The students then prepare for oral arguments in the regional round of the competition, slated for early to mid-November. Eight schools (16 teams) participate in the regional round, and the top two teams advance to the final round of the competition, which takes place in January or February in New York City . For their work in the fall, each student receives one credit, and is eligible for an additional credit upon advancement to the national round. Members of the NMC team also receive one credit for their role in the Traynor Competition in the spring semester.

Pace Environmental Law Competition

One Credit, Pass-Fail, Spring Semester
Faculty Advisor/Contact Person: Bob Adler

For many years, the law school has entered a team in the Pace Environmental Law Competition. Students are selected based on a combination of (a) demonstrated interest, commitment, and ability in the area of environmental law and (b) previous moot court experience, such as participation in Traynor. Please note that second and third year students are eligible for participation, although preference will be given to third years. Moreover, participation in Traynor is not a prerequisite, but may be a factor in the selection process.

Jessup International Law Competition

One Credit, Pass-Fail, Spring Semester
Faculty Advisor/Contact Person: Tony Anghie

Students are selected based on a combination of (a) demonstrated interest, commitment, and ability in the area of international law and (b) previous moot court experience, such as participation in Traynor. Please note that both second and third year students are eligible for participation, although preference will be given to third-years. Moreover, participation in Traynor is not a prerequisite, but may be a factor in the selection process.

Giles Sutherland Rich Patent Law Competition

One Credit, Pass-Fail, Spring Semester
Faculty Advisor/Contact Person: Amelia Rinehart

A consortium of Utah law firms sponsors our participation in a national patent law competition called Giles Sutherland Rich Competition. Any interested second and third year students may participate. This competition is supervised by the faculty adviser in conjunction with local patent attorneys and our Student Intellectual Property Association (SIPLA).

II. Extramural Trial Competition:

National Trial Advocacy Team

One Credit, Pass-Fail, Fall Semester
Faculty Advisor: Richard McKelvie
Contact Person: Suzanne Faddis

Student participation in the National Trial Advocacy extramural competition stems from their performance in the trial advocacy course, which many students take in the spring of their second year and which is taught by Jim Holbrook, Greg Skordas, and a handful of adjuncts. Four second year students from the course are invited to join the national team in the fall of their third year; they are chosen from among the students who had the highest grades in the previous spring semester, and who also receive favorable recommendations from their small group adjunct professors.

III. Extramural Lawyering Skills

Negotiation Competition

One Credit, Pass-Fail, Fall Semester
Faculty Advisor: Linda Smith
Contact Person: Kay Shelton

The SJQ sends two teams of two students each to the Negotiation Competition in the fall semester. Professors Linda Smith and Jim Holbrook identify candidates from those who have taken the lawyering skills and advanced negotiation/mediation courses and also a relevant clinic. They look at grades, interest, and demonstrated competence in the skills needed in the respective competitions; in addition, student interest in/commitment to ADR skills and career paths are also factors. Diversity is considered whenever possible, and students who have been in another interscholastic competition are not selected.

Mediation Competition

One Credit, Pass-Fail, Spring Semester
Faculty Advisor: Linda Smith
Contact Person: Kay Shelton

The SJQ fields two teams of two students each to the Mediation Advocacy Competition in the spring semester, and utilizes precisely the same criteria described above with respect to the Negotiation Competition.