Through involvement in a variety of internal and inter-school competitions, you develop a range of important legal skills. These include proficiency in written advocacy as well as an ability to mold facts into a persuasive presentation, develop intellectual flexibility, anticipate and respond effectively to questions and function well under pressure. But to me, what is most important is that the competitions give students confidence in their abilities as advocates.
Students are able to build advocacy skills beginning in their first year.
Within weeks of beginning classes, you may participate in a negotiations competition sponsored in conjunction with the American Bar Association. In the spring, you may take part in a client counseling competition and have your skills observed and evaluated by members of the local bar. The Wendell F. Grimes Moot Court Competition is essential for students aspiring to enter interscholastic competition and others who simply want to build their appellate skills. Designed for second-year students, this internal competition is a prerequisite for interschool moot court competitions. The Braxton Craven Moot Court team briefs and argues at the regional and national level issues of constitutional law arising in a criminal context, such as search and seizure, right to counsel, etc.