Honors Moot Court External

Honors Moot Court External (HMCE) selects the finest legal writers and oral advocates to represent Santa Clara Law against other law schools in the most prestigious moot court competitions in the country. Teams of two to three law students are selected for each competition. Thereafter, these elite teams focus on writing a winning brief and refining oral argument through a series of practice moots with professors, practicing attorneys and members of the judiciary. Teams have competed around the world, and on a broad range of topics. Please find information on this year's competitions at the link to the right.

 

Application Information

To apply for an HMCE competition, students must complete Advocacy, be currently enrolled in Advocacy, or have equivalent credit from their prior law school.  The HMCE Board evaluates candidates' legal writing and oral advocacy skills, as well as their experience and knowledge with the subject matter of a particular competition. A competitive spirit and the ability to work independently with assigned team members are required.  Applications for most competitions generally are solicited in the Fall, with some applications being solicited in the Spring. 

 

HMCE holds tryouts on a rolling basis from August through November each year.  See the Application Information link to the left for more details. 

 

Course Credit

Students selected for an External Moot Court team are highly encouraged enroll in Honors Moot Court External 396, and will receive up to 2 course credits for participation in an external competition. There is no formal class requirement, although participants must be self-directed and will be required to register for Honors Moot Court External 396A, which is a weekly meeting timeslot. This required time is set aside to attend training sessions and team meetings.

 

Coaches

A member of the Santa Clara Law faculty or a practicing attorney will serve as a coach for each team.  Generally, coaches bring both expertise in the competition topic (e.g., refugee law) and experience in appellate advocacy (e.g., brief writing and oral argument skills) or ADR for competitions of other formats.

 

Expenses

The HMCE Board assigns a budget to each competition and covers the following approved expenses for competitors and coaches, which are limited by the Law Schol Travel Policy: (1) copying, binding, and mailing; (2) flights; (3) hotel; (4) ground transportation; and (5) meals during travel.

 

 

 

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