Each year, Lewis & Clark Law’s entire first-year class takes on the challenge of competing in live oral argument competition. Starting in their Lawyering classes, students learn to analyze the ins-and-outs of hypothetical cases, how to effectively research precedent cases and relevant law, how to write persuasive and engaging briefs, and, ultimately, how to present a convincing argument in the courtroom. “The Lawyering Program’s First Year Moot Court Competition involves an immense amount of work,” remarked Professor Bill Chin, “but it is work well spent that helps our law students prepare for the actual practice of law in their first year of law school.”
In the Spring of their first-year, Lawyering students get the chance to put the skills they learned the previous semester into practice. They’re given in-depth hypothetical client scenarios, complete with interview transcripts and relevant documents, and are assigned the role of plaintiff’s or defendant’s attorney. From there, students use the semester to research and draft mock appellate briefs for their given side, submitting these papers to their professors and the judges leading up to their arguments. The culmination of this project comes in the Moot Court Competition itself, where students get one practice trial round before matching up against their peers in a real courtroom, arguing their case in person for the first time. “Preparing for the 1L Mock Trial Competition challenged me, made me face insecurities I had as a law student and future advocate, and demanded a deeper level of dedication and practice,” rising second-year, Victoria Minnieweather reflected, “That being said, participating in the competition was one of my best memories of my 1L year!”
The Lawyering competition utilizes the Multnomah County Courthouse, taking two nights, twelve courtrooms, and the dedicated time of twenty-four volunteer bailiffs and seventy-two volunteer judges, consisting of practicing attorneys and actual judges. With the help of these parties, as well as that of the Lawyering faculty and the Law School’s Business Services Office, Facilities Office, and Events Office, the trial matches as closely as it can to the preparation and courtroom experience that tenured attorneys partake in each day. “The [competition] provides students with real-world experience from beginning to end,” Professor Chin explained.
For Victoria, this competition highlighted what made Lewis & Clark stand out as law school: “The beauty of Lewis & Clark is true support and camaraderie, which shone through as we were all honest and bonded over the fact of how nervous we were to go in front of actual practicing attorneys and argue our case.… The whole process just reminded me to trust in my ability to do my best and the rest will fall where it falls.” In this case, the rest fell into a win for Victoria, who was honored to be named one of the Best Oral Advocates from the various courtrooms following the culmination of the moot court competition.
