Moot Court, Mock Trial, Law Review: The Holy Trilogy of Extracurriculars

Greetings, lawyers to be!

So far, our (admittedly intermittent) blog entries have discussed how to succeed in the classroom. But there are other opportunities for enterprising law students to learn more about themselves, build their legal skills, and enhance their resumes.

Some of these opportunities may not be available for first-year law students (for example a student at my school must be a 3L to compete on our competitive moot court team). However many schools have programs that allow new law students to get involved and step outside the library.

Here are some of those opportunities:

• First and Second Year Moot Court competitions

Moot Court is a great way to develop one's oral advocacy skills. In a typical Moot Court competition, students argue before a panel of appellate "judges," usually other students or professors. Each student will be given a limited amount of time to argue why the appellate court could either uphold or reverse the judgment of a lower court.

Although my school only lets 3Ls compete on the competitive Moot Court team, which travels around the country and faces off against other schools, it provides opportunities for first and second-year law students to participate as well.

Moot Court can be intense. As you advocate for your client, the judges will frequently interrupt you and ask questions to test your knowledge of the law and see if it can be logically applied to your client's case. In my case, I argued that the government should be allowed to conduct warrantless searches of digital cameras in certain situations.

At my school, the winner of the first year Moot Court competition receives not just recognition but a chance to travel with and perform research for the competitive moot court team.

Other schools will integrate Moot Court into their legal writing curriculum. Your goal will be to write a lengthy appellate brief and then argue against her classmates as part of a graded assignment. 

Employers frequently cite Moot Court as something they look for on a resume. While I'm not sure if I want to go into litigation or appellate advocacy, I am very glad I stepped outside my comfort zone and tried Moot Court.

• Mock Trial

Mock trial competitions are similar to moot court in that they developed oral advocacy skills. However, mock trial is geared towards the trial court level and thus you will be making arguments to a "jury" of students.

In mock trial, you will practice direct and cross-examination of witnesses as well as opening and closing statements. At my school, we were organized in teams of two, with one partner performing the opening statement and cross examination and the other performing the closing statement and direct examination. I was the former. Cross examination can be exciting, especially if you can catch the other team in a lie! I had a blast working with my partner, who ultimately advanced to the semi-final rounds. (Alas, I did not advance because I did not memorize my opening statement; learn from my mistake!)

The trick, to both moot court and mock trial, is to know the facts of your hypothetical client's case from every dimension. You will have to do this is a real lawyer, so it makes sense to start early.

My school has a competitive mock trial team for 2Ls and 3Ls, and a special competition just for 1Ls.

• Law Review/Law Journal

Most schools don't allow students to join a law journal until their second year. In my case, I was allowed to join the law review in my first year because my school has a special division that recruits first-year students.

A law review, in general, is a school's "flagship" publication. Here, students, professors, and other professionals write about emerging legal trends, jurisdictional splits, and other topics such as how the law has impacted classical literature. I am currently writing about recently passed state legislation.

A law journal includes such topics, but is typically more focused on one area of law such as sports law, international business, or admiralty.

Writing for a law journal can be one of the most prestigious things a law student can do. But make no mistake: writing for one of these publications is a substantial time commitment. Typical tasks include managing edits, in which you check the grammar, citations, and substance of another person's work, research assignments in which you gather sources, weekly or monthly deadlines for your personal article, and office hours.

In order to get on the Law Review or a Law Journal students must either be an a certain percentage of their class or compete in a writing competition.

As I begin work on a months-long, 40+ page project, I understand there will be a lot of work and sometimes where will have to make sure I handle my time judiciously. But the light at the end of the tunnel - the prospect of publication - makes it all worth it. If your article is published, as one professor put it, "it stays with you forever."

• Specialized clubs and activities

The above three activities are ones I personally participated in. But my school, along with others, offers a large variety of clubs and student organizations that unite people aced upon their legal interest, professional goals, or perhaps just a love for animals. Regardless, these organizations offer opportunities to meet people, network, and enhance your law school experience overall.

The Downhill Stretch of 1L

The first year of law school is, doubtlessly, quite an experience. Even making it through the first semester should be enough to earn you a medal. The first semester of your first year will be, according to accounts I've heard from others and my own experience so far, the hardest you will undergo at law school. If you've made it this far, congratulations; but don't get lazy now.

In a few days, January will have ended, and by the end of the week, I will be closing in on the end of the first third of second semester. In some weird way, however, I feel like I'm farther along. This second semester is definitely not as trying - for one thing, any uncertainty I feel about the material is mitigated by the knowledge that I will know all of this stuff by the time exams roll around. On the other hand, this is shaping up to be quite a full semester. While the number of credits I am working toward this semester remains the same, my overall course-load has been increased by one class. Instead of three doctrinal classes and Legal Research and Writing, I now face four doctrinal classes plus Moot Court. The effect is somewhat offset by small adjustments in the hours per week for each class - Constitutional Law and my statutory elective, for instance, meet only three hours each, rather than four, per week. My understanding is that this set up is quite unique, as most law schools will have you continuing your fall semester classes, with the exception of Legal Research and Writing. On top of this new schedule, however, I am well within the midst of attempting to find a summer job, a necessity for any law student looking to pursue a career in the legal field once he or she has earned a law degree.

So, while we're nearly a month into 2011, I'm going to make some resolutions. I'm going to resolve to start earlier and work smarter on preparing for exams. I'm going to resolve to set aside time for job hunting. I'm going to resolve to make the best of Moot Court and try to be the best advocate I can for my side.

And I resolve to impart whatever knowledge I gain from my experiences to you, the reader, to help on your own legal journey.

Happy New Year.

~Pax