Brendan Moore Trial Advocacy Team Fall Competition

At the start of each school year, the Brendan Moore Trial Advocacy Team will host three presentations to assist competitors in forming a case theory. The dates of these presentations will be posted as soon as they become available.

Competition rounds will take place on a Saturday and Sunday. Alternate preliminary rounds will be held for students who have religious obligations during the week prior to the weekend competition. This year's Fall Competition will take place August 26-28, 2023. The alternate round is August 23-25, 2023.

In teams of two, competitors will prepare the elements of a trial:

  • opening statement
  • two direct examinations
  • two cross examinations
  • closing argument

Teams will be scored both as teams and as individuals. Offers to join the Moores are made to individual competitors, not teams.

Competitors will prepare cases for both the prosecution and the defense. Current Moores and coaches will run several workshops before the Competition on the elements of the trial.

In each trial, the elements must be divided equally. For example, in when the team is the prosecution:

  • opening statement (Competitor A)
  • direct examination #1 (Competitor A)
  • direct examination #2 (Competitor B)
  • cross examination #1 (Competitor A)
  • cross examination #2 (Competitor B)
  • closing argument (Competitor B)

When that same team is competing as the defense, they will switch roles (i.e. the same competitor cannot give the opening statement for both sides).

Competitors will perform as one side in their first trial, and will do a second trial, arguing the opposite. Head-to-head matchups are randomly selected for the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. Teams are scored based on style, ability to argue persuasively, and projected confidence. Judges will give feedback after each round.

The quarterfinal rounds will consist of the top eight teams and the semifinals will consist of the top four teams. The final round is held the following Monday evening in the Moot Court Room. All Moores who have earned a spot on the team are required to attend this final round.

Offers to join the team are not necessarily based on win-loss records but rather on the competitor’s ability to perform well and take direction from the judges; growth throughout the competition is an important factor as well.

How to sign-up

Students wishing to compete in the Fall Intraschool competition must sign up.

An email to sign up for the competition will be sent out in early August. Students will have about 2 weeks to sign up for the competition before signups are closed. The competition problem will then be released in late August. Students will have 1.5 – 2 weeks to create a case theory.

Students may sign-up by sending an email to [email protected] with subject line “Fall Competition Sign-Up.” Please include the following information into the body of the email and answer the questions.

  • Your Name?
  • Your Email?
  • Your Phone?
  • Do you have a partner?
  • Partner Name?
  • Partner Email?
  • Partner Phone?
  • Will you need to compete in the alternate preliminary rounds for religious reasons?

If you have any questions regarding the Summer Competition, please contact one of the Intraschool Editors:  Amanda Bradley and Tamara Gilbert at [email protected]. 

  • If you cannot participate in Saturday’s preliminary rounds for religious reasons, alternate competition times are planned for Wednesday and Thursday. Competitors in the alternate competition will remain eligible to compete in the quarter-finals on Sunday and will be contacted after nightfall on Saturday if they have been selected for advancement.

    We are not able to accommodate religious conflicts with the semifinal and quarterfinal rounds on Sunday. However, we welcome those with religious conflicts on Sunday to participate in the preliminary rounds as a way to become eligible to join the Moores.

    Although the Moores embrace diversity and welcome people of all faiths, students who have religious conflicts on weekends should be aware that nearly all interschool competitions take place on weekends.

    If invited to join the Moores, we may not be able to place you on an interschool competition team, but we will make every effort to see that you have a rewarding experience with the Moores. For example, in the past, team members who were unable to compete on Saturdays have participated on Mooting teams.

  • We will assign partners to students who sign up individually. We encourage students who do not have partners to sign up early.

  • There is no set rule about how much time you will need to spend preparing. You will have two weeks to prepare your cases; we recommend that you use that time wisely. Although each team is unique, our most successful teams have historically invested a few hours each night for the entire two week period. You must plan to be available for your preliminary rounds as well as the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, and the final round. We will hold an optional orientation meeting where members of our Board will discuss, among other things, time management and strategy for the competition.

  • The vast majority of our competitors have never been involved in a real trial or mock trial competition before. This competition is largely focused on style, preparation, dedication and effort, with technical skill only a small consideration. That said, we will be presenting a series of workshops about different aspects of trial lawyering that we encourage you to attend. We also recommend that students familiarize themselves with the Federal Rules of Evidence and Mauet’s Trial Techniques, available in the library and bookstore, to prepare for the competition. Additionally, third- and fourth-year Moores are available to answer your questions. The ability to learn and utilize new skills is an important quality we look for in admitting new Moores.

  • Any current student who has completed their first year of law school may try out, there are no additional prerequisites. Many Moores have found it helpful to take courses in evidence, criminal procedure, or other aspects of litigation, but those classes are not required. Moores who participate in designated intraschool and interschool competition teams may be eligible to receive academic credit (3 credits each spring semester, up to 6 total credits) in lieu of taking the school’s trial advocacy classes.