Legal Competitions and Practical Advocacy

Introduction

This course provides students with an opportunity to apply legal principles in practice through participation in simulated dispute resolution proceedings. Students assume roles of counsel and arbitrators, learn to present arguments in a persuasive and structured manner, and experience the challenges of adversarial legal settings. They also learn how to find legal sources in best support of the arguments of the party they represent, how to deal with unfavorable legal sources and precedent, and how to efficiently handle the situations where their arguments are challenged.

The proceedings take the form of internal, national, and international legal competitions, which typically involve simulated methods of alternative dispute resolution, such as arbitral proceedings. Students work in teams to represent a client party, research the case, prepare written submissions, and develop oral arguments. To successfully complete the course, students must present oral arguments before a tribunal on behalf of the party they represent. The course is graded based on the internal hearing and is not contingent upon performance in any external competition.

Course content

This course centers on competitive legal proceedings in alternative dispute resolution settings. Students participate in adversarial proceedings and assume roles of counsel and arbitrators. The course utilizes internal, national, and international legal competition formats, which typically involve alternative dispute resolution mechanisms such as arbitration. Students will gain familiarity with the legal framework that governs arbitral proceedings, including key institutional rules and procedural principles.

At the semester's start, each team is assigned to represent a party in a dispute. The team's task is to build the strongest possible case for their client based on the available record and to frame existing legal sources in the most favorable light for their position. Case materials may come from established external competitions or be developed internally for the course. Students engage with both course participants and, where applicable, external competitors.

A core focus of the course is the ability to identify relevant legal sources and frame them persuasively in support of a client's position. This includes selection of pertinent authority, analogizing and distinguishing precedent, and integration of sources into a compelling narrative. Students develop written legal submissions and present their arguments in an adversarial hearing. They must both advance their own position and address counter-arguments from opposing parties.