McBaine Moot Court Competition
2009-2010 Competition
The James Patterson McBaine Honors Competition is Boalt Hall's moot court competition and is open to all Boalt second- and third-year law students. Cases chosen for the competition involve cutting-edge issues of great public importance. This year, we are proud to welcome Judge Diane Wood of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and two distinguished jurists as our panel for the final round. This year's case is Lee v. Louisiana. The case involves a constitutional challenge to states' use of non-unanimous jury convictions in criminal law cases.
The Competition format is modeled after U.S. Supreme Court practice. All competitors must prepare both an appellate brief and an oral argument. Students will submit their briefs on February 8, and will participate in the preliminary round of oral arguments in mid-February. Competitors will advance to the semi-final and final rounds of the Competition based on the quality of the oral argument. Scores from the brief and oral argument will determine who advances to the quarter-final round.
The final round of the competition will be held on Thursday, March 4. The entire competition will be completed before Spring Break, leaving competitors free from any work for the competition's two units for the remainder of the semester.
Judges, Boalt faculty, and appellate practitioners will evaluate the initial rounds of oral arguments. A full schedule of important dates and events is available on the Competition website.
Competitors receive 2 units for satisfactory participation in the competition. The Competition does not have a regular classroom component. There will be two information sessions in November that we highly encourage all interested students to attend.
The Competition's Directors will also host office hours throughout January and February to discuss the case, brief-writing, and oral argument preparation. Competitors are also welcome to email the Directors at any point in the process with questions or concerns (mcbaine.competition@gmail.com). Bill Fernholz, the Director of Appellate Programs, will also be available for individual meetings throughout the competition.