ADVOCACY PROGRAM
Memphis Law is dedicated to recognizing and fostering excellence in both appellate and trial advocacy. Our strong Moot Court program offers our students a way to prepare for the challenges of life in the courtroom and is nationally recognized for outstanding work in oral and written advocacy. Our students progress from fundamental legal doctrine and theory in first-year courses to increasingly more sophisticated and complex substantive and procedural issues in the second. The Advocacy program and our travel teams place students in the center of the litigation process, as they begin to assimilate the skills and strategies they will need as practicing attorneys. The various Moot Court and Mock Trial competitions that we field teams in give students additional opportunities to hone those skills, as they face off against their peers and some of the top law school teams in the country. Our travel teams have had quite a bit of success in the past several years.
National Moot Court Competition Team The 2019-20 National Moot Court team was named the Moot Court Region VII Champion, defeating the University of Tennessee in the final round, and having a 3L team member named as the Best Oral Advocate. The team was coached by Professor Barbara Kritchevsky. Wagner Moot Court Team The Memphis Law Wagner Moot Court Team finished as the National Runner-Up in the 43rd Annual Robert F. Wagner Labor and Employment Law Moot Court Competition in 2019. The Memphis team argued in six rounds over the three-day competition and reached the national championship round. The competition did not take place in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns. ABA National Appellate Advocacy Team The ABA National Appellate Advocacy Team was named Regional Champion at the 2019 Philadelphia Regional Competition. The team then competed in the National competition in Chicago, where they advanced to the Nationals top 16. In 2020, our 3L
team reached the regional finals once again and won Best Brief in their region, with one team member named a Top 10 Advocate in the region. Professor Barbara Kritchevsky coached the team. Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Team One of the University of Memphis Law School Duberstein Bankruptcy teams competed and won the United States Sixth Circuit's inaugural Shapero Cup Regional Duberstein Competition in 2019. Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Team Memphis Law’s Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial team was a top team in the 2020 Regional Competition and advanced to the National Competition Finals. BLSA Mock Trial Team Memphis Law’s Black Law Students Association’s Mock Trial Team placed fourth in the Southern Regional BLSA Mock Trial Competition Constance Baker Motley Mock Trial Competition in 2019.
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