National Moot Court Competition

About the National Moot Court Competition

The National Moot Court Competition is a national competition sponsored by the Young Lawyers Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the American College of Trial Lawyers each year to enable law students throughout the United States to match their abilities as appellate advocates against one another. It requires teams of students to research briefs and then orally argue cases, bringing together law students, practicing lawyers, legal scholars, and judges to exchange ideas and attitudes and to compare notes.

In 1946, the Committee on Junior Bar Activities of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York worked out the plans for a Moot Court Competition between law schools. In 1947, the first Inter-Law School Court Competition was held between Columbia and Yale; the winner challenged Harvard. It was then decided to extend the invitation to compete to other law schools in the area, and the competition grew to nine schools in 1948.

Today, regional winners compete in a national championship, with the winning team’s selection based on forensic ability, reasoning, logical presentation, ability to answer questions, acquaintance with the law, evidence of research, and general courtroom manner. Thousands of law students and professionals from around the country have competed in or have been involved with the National Moot Court Competition since its inception.

About the Database

This database draws together in one place materials from the National Moot Court Competition from 1950 to present. The work enhances the law student’s ability to grasp the practical side of the law field by presenting award-winning responses to real-life problems. Within the National Moot Court Competition database, users are able to access the winning records, briefs, and related organizational materials from the first to the most recent annual National Moot Court Competition in print and digital format.

HeinOnline extends its sincere appreciation to the people of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York who helped with this endeavor.

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