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ADVOCACY COMPETITION TEAM TRYOUT AND REGISTRATION INFORMATION

The Dan K. Webb Center for Advocacy is committed to upholding Loyola University Chicago School of Law’s mission throughout all of its programming, including within and among our advocacy competition teams.  We welcome students from all backgrounds and perspectives.  We value diversity in team composition.  We continually strive to maintain a culture and climate free of racism and bias in every aspect of our tryout processes, team instruction, advocate training and competitions.

This fall, Loyola will hold tryouts for our 2023-2024 dispute resolution skills teams, which includes our Client Counseling, Mediation and Negotiation (both ABA and Sports Law) competition teams. Students who have completed their first year of law school who are not already committed to another advocacy competition team may try out for as many teams as they are interested in, but may only accept a position on one team per academic year.

Details on tryouts are below and this announcement will be updated as information changes or further information becomes available.

Remember, students are only authorized to compete on teams that are formally recognized and run by Loyola.  Students may not attempt to enter competitions on their own if they are not selected for one of Loyola’s teams.

Students are only permitted to accept an offer to compete on one advocacy team per academic year.  Accordingly, a student cannot be a member of a moot court and mock trial team or dispute resolution team during the same semester or academic year.

All competition teams are associated with a credited course, however, you will not be able to register for the applicable course until you accept an offer to compete on a team.  In general, all competition teams hold practices in the evenings and on weekends with coaches who are practicing attorneys.  Accordingly, team practice dates and times vary per team and per semester. 

For more information about any of the competition teams, advocacy courses or the advocacy certificate, contact Adrienne Mebane (amebane@luc.edu) or Gina Gerardi (ggerardi@luc.edu) in the Dan K. Webb Center for Advocacy.

Mock Trial Tryouts

For mock trial teams, tryouts are held in the spring semester. Students will present a closing argument and a cross examination with impeachment where they can be considered for all available mock trial teams. Students may be asked to return for a call back tryout and/or interview. For these tryouts, students will fill out an application and submit a resume.

Loyola has four mock trial teams. Coaches from all four teams participate in the try-out process.

For more information about Mock Trial, you may email Law-MockTrial@luc.edu.

Further details about the Mock Trial Program can be found at https://www.luc.edu/law/currentstudents/competitions/trial_advocacy.html.

Moot Court Tryouts

For moot court teams, tryouts are held in the spring semester. Students attend one tryout where they can be considered for all available moot court teams. Students will fill out an application, submit a resume and brief from their most recent Legal Writing course, and list any moot court teams of their preference. For these tryouts, students will present an oral argument based on their brief submission before the Moot Court Executive Board who will be acting as judges. A short interview will take place with the Board after the oral argument.

In addition to attending team practices, all students competing on a Moot Court team will be required to take the Appellate Advocacy Honors course throughout the academic year. The course is scheduled for Wednesdays from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. Students selected for the Weekend JD moot court team are required to take this class in the spring semester only which meets on Sundays from 2:15 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. (during on-campus weekends). Please note that this class does not replace the 2L Legal Writing III (formerly known as Advocacy) course requirement.

All questions may be directed to MootCourt@luc.edu.

More information about the Moot Court Program can be found at https://www.luc.edu/law/currentstudents/competitions/nationalmootcourtcompetitionteams/.

Dispute Resolution Tryouts

Client Counseling, Mediation, and Negotiation Teams

Informational sessions:
-Monday, August 28, 2023, 5:00 p.m. (in person @ Loyola, Rm. 1303)
-Wednesday, August 30, 2023, 12:00 p.m. (via Zoom, https://luc.zoom.us/j/83405728482)

Tryout Date(s) and Time(s):

Wed, Sept. 6, 2023
-Mediation Team, 5:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. (via Zoom*)
-ABA Negotiation Team, 5:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. (in person @ Loyola, Rm. 1308)

Thurs, Sept. 7, 2023
-Sports Law Negotiation Team, 3:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. (in person @ Loyola, Rm. 1308)
-Client Counseling Team, 6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. (in person @ Loyola, Rm. 1215)

*Room 1215 will be available for Zoom tryouts for those who may need a private workspace for their tryout.

Tryout details and sign-up sheets for all Dispute Resolution Skills Teams is on the TWEN page entitled “Dispute Resolution Skills Team Tryouts 2023.”

To learn more about our Dispute Resolution Skills Teams, please visit Events and Competitions and Dispute Resolution Competition Teams.

For more information about tryouts please contact Gina Gerardi, Assistant Director of the Center for Advocacy, at ggerardi@luc.edu.

International Commercial Arbitration and the CISG (Vis Moot Class) – Permission of Professor Required

Students who would like to participate in the Vis Moot Program, with oral argument in the spring semester traditionally held in Vienna or Hong Kong, must take International Commercial Arbitration and the CISG in the fall semester prior. Sixteen students will be admitted to the fall course through an application and selection process (usually administered in April/May) . At the end of the fall semester class, eight students will be chosen to be Vis Moot Fellows. Four Vis Moot Fellows will be on the Vienna team and four will be on the Hong Kong team. Teams will travel in the spring for competition.

If you have any questions or would like information about the Vis Moot program, please contact Professor Margaret Moses at mmoses1@luc.edu.