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Student Handbook

Moot Court and Client Counseling Teams

NATIONAL BLACK LAW STUDENTS ASSOCIATION (NBLSA)

“The National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA), founded in 1968, is a national organization formed to articulate and promote the needs and goals of black law students and effectuate change in the legal community.”

• Source:  National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) [nblsa.org]
• National Black Law Student Association Advocacy Competitions [nblsa.org]

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CLIENT COUNSELING TEAM

The purpose of the Client Counseling Competition is to promote greater knowledge and interest among law students in the preventive law and counseling functions of law practice and to encourage students to develop interviewing, planning, and analytical skills in the lawyer-client relationship in the law office.

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ENVIRONMENTAL MOOT COURT TEAM

The William S. Richardson School of Law Environmental Law Moot Court Team is a three-student team that competes in the Pace University School of Law’s National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition. The team is required to write a brief and compete in several rounds of oral arguments. The competition takes place in White Plains, New York in mid-February of each year. For 15 years, the Environmental Law Moot Court Team has consistently placed among the top competitors and is nationally recognized. Each year, Pace University selects a topic that involves cutting-edge issues in federal environmental law and three parties to the dispute—a citizens group, a state or federal agency, and a private corporation. The problem typically involves a major federal environmental statute and related issues of statutory interpretation, federal court process, administrative law, and constitutional law. Teams may choose any of the three sides to represent on the brief, but during the competition all teams must argue all sides.

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HISPANIC MOOT COURT TEAM

The Uvaldo Herrera Moot Court Competion is a national competition sponsored by the Hispanic National Bar Association. The brief writing and oral presentation of the competition are focused on a case concerning current civil rights on a national scale. Since a team has been put together, the William S. Richardson School of Law Hispanic Law Students Association has funded the Hispanic Moot Court Team. New teammates are selected via tryouts.

HNBA Uvaldo Herrera Moot Court Competition [hnba.com]

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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MOOT COURT TEAM

“The Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition is an annual event honoring Saul Lefkowitz, whose entire distinguished career was dedicated to the development of trademark and unfair competition law.  The competition introduces law students to important issues arising in U.S. trademark and unfair competition law. Students develop their brief writing and oral advocacy skills in a mock courtroom experience.”

Source: Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition [www.inta.org]

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INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MOOT COURT TEAM

The Stetson Moot Court Competition covers issues in international environmental law. Beyond providing a strong foundation in legal doctrine, Stetson’s academic curriculum allows students to distinguish themselves through clinical programs, skills courses, and concentration and dual-degree programs for practice in specialized areas of law. Recent topics have included oceanic shipments of nuclear waste and the scientific harvesting of whales and other endangered species.  Tryouts consist of an oral argument based on the prior year’s briefs, and will be held late in the Spring semester.

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NATIONAL TRIAL PRACTICE TEAM

National Trial Practice Team is a student organization that competes in an annual national tournament  that alternates between a mock civil trial and a mock criminal trial.  Unlike other competition teams, NTPT focuses on trial level advocacy and does not include a written brief.  The Team’s practices emphasize the rules of evidence, the rules of procedure, trial strategy, and courtroom presence.  Students interested in becoming litigators are encouraged to try out for the team.  Try-outs are generally held in October.

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NATIVE AMERICAN MOOT COURT TEAM

Established in 1996, the William S. Richardson School of Law’s Native American Moot Court Team (NAMC) is comprised of three to four two-person teams. Each two-person team briefs and argues an issue in federal Indian law and/or tribal law and governance at the annual national competition.  In the 23 years that the Richardson team has participated in the competition, the team has earned 40 awards: 15 First Place Awards, 12 Second Place Awards, 12 Third Place Awards, and 1 Fourth Place Award.

Try-outs for the competition are held in the Fall and the national competition is held in the Spring. Try-out candidates present oral arguments before an alumni panel based on the briefs written by the prior teams.

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PHILIP C. JESSUP MOOT COURT TEAM

The competition is a simulation of a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations. A team from each participating school is required to prepare oral and written pleadings arguing both the applicant and respondent positions of the case. The Jessup Moot Court Competition covers issues in international law. Recent topics have included civil wars, war crimes, global internet regulations, and oceanic environmental issues. The Jessup team consists of four oralists and one alternate position. Two oralists represent one country, while the other two oralists represent the other country. Each pair prepares a brief and oral argument. The alternate helps with the briefs and oral arguments, but is not expected to argue at the competition. The alternate will be an oralist the following year.

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ROBERT F. WAGNER LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT MOOT COURT TEAM

“The Robert F. Wagner National Labor and Employment Law Moot Court Competition is the nation’s largest student-run moot court competition and the premier national competition dedicated exclusively to the areas of labor and employment law. The Moot Court Association sponsors this competition in honor of the late United States Senator, Robert F. Wagner, our distinguished alumnus.”

Source: Wagner Competition [www.nyls.edu]

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SPACE LAW MOOT COURT TEAM

Each year since 1992, the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) has hosted the Manfred Lachs Moot Court Competition. This competition seeks to promote interest in and knowledge of the dynamic field of space law. The competition simulates a space-based dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations.

Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition [iislweb.org]

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THOMAS TANG MOOT COURT TEAM

“The Thomas Tang National Moot Court Competition is an appellate advocacy competition sponsored annually by the NAPABA Law Foundation, an IRC § 501(c)(3) non-profit, charitable and educational affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). The purpose of this Competition is to develop advocacy skills without regard to the merit of the petitioner’s or respondent’s cases.”

Source: Thomas Tang National Moot Court Competition

TONY OPOSA INTERGENERATIONAL MOOT COURT TEAM

“The “ICJ4ICJ” (or Intergenerational Climate Justice before the International Court of Justice) moot court presentation and workshop first took place during the 2016 IUCN (i.e., International Union for the Conservation of Nature) World Conservation Congress in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi.  Organizers renamed the ICJ4ICJ as the “Tony Oposa Intergenerational Moot Court” in honor of the Magsaysay Award winning environmental attorney from the Philippines.”

Source: Tony Oposa Intergenerational Moot Court Team Website [blog.hawaii.edu]

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FEDERAL BAR ASSOCIATION HAWAII LAW STUDENT DIVISION

Mission statement:

The mission of the FBA Hawai‘i Student Division is to support the interests and needs of Richardson law students aspiring to Federal practice, both public and private, as well as to strengthen student interest and knowledge of the Federal legal system. The Hawaii Student Division, like other law school chapters, strives to advance the mission of the national FBA as set forth in Article III, Section 1, to “strengthen the federal legal system and administration of justice by serving the interests and the needs of the Federal practitioner, both public and private, the federal judiciary and the public they serve.” Law School Student Chapters also serve to advance the General Objectives of the FBA, as set forth in Article III, Section 3, including but not limited to:

• To enhance the professional growth and development of members of the Federal legal profession and promote high standards of professional competence and ethical conduct, including through the provision of quality education programs. 
• To support the members of the Association including through promoting professional and social interaction, notifying and educating members as to developments in their respective fields of interest, encouraging member involvement in activities of the Association, and providing opportunities for members to assume leadership roles in the Association.

The activities of all Law School Student Chapters should primarily serve to encourage learning about Federal law, courts, and legal practice, to advance the Law Student Division’s purposes, to promote and to serve the interests of the Division members, and to support growth in the Division’s membership. The Hawai‘i Student Division in particular recognizes that the small size of the Federal Bar, located in one District Court comprising the entire State, presents unique opportunities for building networks between the Federal Bar and Hawai‘i’s only law school. This includes opportunities for students to interact with judges and attorneys both on and off-campus, utilizing a “hands-on” approach for students to learn about Federal practice. 

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