Competition Teams

Competition Teams

Interested in trial experience? We offer three competition teams to help you hone your skills and gain experience in the courtroom: Honors Moot Court, Negotiations, Mock Trial.

HONORS MOOT COURT TEAM

Students are invited to join the Honors Moot Court Team based on their written brief and their performance in the 1L Moot Court Competition. These students take an Advanced Appellate Advocacy course where students have the opportunity to further explore the procedural and substantive aspects of appellate practice and prepare to compete in Moot Court Competitions. In the Advanced Appellate Advocacy course, students work on an Appellate Brief based on the record of a case that is currently on appeal at the United State Supreme Court and present a 12-minute Final Oral Argument before a panel of judges during the last week of class. These students may then represent Western State at local and national moot court competitions.

The Western State College of Law Honors Moot Court Team participates in many regional and national competition each year. Below are some of the various competitions that our team has participated in during the last few years, showcasing our success!

Cardozo BMI Entertainment Law Moot Court Competition, New York, NY

• Semi-Finalist, 2021

Jerome Prince Evidence Moot Competition, Brooklyn, NY

• Quarter-Finalist, 2017

Judge Lloyd George Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition (regionals), Las Vegas, NV

• Finalist – Runner Up (2nd place overall in competition), 2015

National Child Welfare & Adoption Law Moot Court Competition, Columbus, OH

• Quarter-Finalists, 2016
• Quarter-Finalists, 8th Best Oralist, 2018

National Juvenile Law Moot Court Competition, Costa Mesa, CA

• 1st Place Overall in the Competition, 2015 & 2016
• #5 & #10 Best Oralist, 2015
• 2nd Place Best Brief, 2014 & 2017

National Immigration Law Moot Court Competition, NY, NY

• Quarter-Finalist, 2015

Rendigs National Products Liability Moot Court Competition, Cincinnati, OH

• Finalist – Runner Up (2nd place overall in competition), 2017
• Quarter-Finalist, Best Brief, 2018

Thurgood Marshall Memorial Moot Court Competition, Chicago, IL

• 3rd Place Best Brief, 2014

Brooklyn Evidence Competition, Brooklyn, NY

• Semi-Finalist/Second Place, 3rd Place Best Brief, 2018

McGee Civil Rights Competition – Minnesota, MI

• 2nd Place Best Oralist (Preliminary Round), 2018

Schreck Gaming Law Competition – Las Vegas, NV

• Quarter Finalist, 2018

UCLA Cyberlaw Moot Court Competition, Los Angeles, CA

• Best Oral Advocate Runner-Up, 2022

NEGOTIATIONS

Every semester, the American Bar and California Bar Associations sponsor negotiation competitions between member schools in which teams of two students attempt to negotiate a resolution to a difficult legal conflict. The students are graded by a panel of judges (experienced attorneys, arbitrators, and mediators) on preparation, strategy, tactics, adaptability, credibility, and oral presentation. The competitions are held at various law schools in Northern and Southern California. Competing students receive travel expenses, as well as one unit of academic credit. Qualification for team membership is the completion of a course in negotiations with a course GPA of 2.8 or better. There may be an intraschool competition to determine team membership depending upon the number of students who apply.

MOCK TRIAL

Western State’s Mock Trial team regularly competes in the southwest regionals of a national mock trial competition. The competition involves almost every Southern California law school and teams from Arizona and Utah. Each team is involved in two preliminary rounds before the top 16 teams are chosen to advance to the octofinals where the knock-out rounds begin.

The two finalists in the regional competition advance to the national competition against other regional winners. Each round is a time-limited presentation of a court trial: Two teams represent opposing clients in a lawsuit before a panel of judges. All phases of the trial are presented by each team, from Opening Statement, to presentation of witness testimony to Closing Argument. The Federal Rules of Evidence control the trial and the presiding judge rules on all the objections. Each judge scores each team member on every aspect of the trial. The total score of the team determines the winner of the round.

Over the past couple of years, Western State was recognized in the following mock trial competitions:

• Best Overall Advocate, 2021

• Regional Semi-Finalist, 2022

STUDENTS PLACE IN REGIONAL BANKRUPTCY MOOT COURT COMPETITION

Professor Lori Roberts’ students, Robert Dagmy, 2L, and Perla Huizar, 3L, participated in the regional Judge Lloyd George Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition at the William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, winning “Runner Up.” The only awards for this competition, held the weekend of February 21, were “first place,” “runner up,” and “best oralist.” The students researched and prepared for this competition with coach Pamela Zylstra, a local practicing bankruptcy lawyer.

WESTERN STATE STUDENTS WIN NATIONAL MOOT COURT COMPETITION

Congratulations to our Honors Moot Court students for their award-winning victories at the 20th Annual National Juvenile Law Moot Court Competition. 2Ls Larissa Parker and Zoha Khan won the competition, and Zoha earned the “#10 Top Oralist” award. 2Ls Jonathan Martinez and Christopher Gipe advanced to the quarter final rounds, and won the “Distinguished Brief” award for writing the third best brief in the competition. Jonathan also earned the “#5 Top Oralist” award. They were coached by Professors Monica Todd and Elizabeth Jones.

ANOTHER GREAT MOOT COURT WIN!

Congratulations to our students Alex Shabaan, Kylie Starr and Lynet Shigg for earning *five* awards at the Appellate Lawyers Association (ALA) Moot Court Competition in Chicago this weekend! The results: 2nd place overall; 2nd pl oralist (overall, Alex Shabaan), 1st pl oralist (semis, Alex Shabaan), 2nd pl oralist (semis, Kylie Starr), 1st pl oralist (prelims, Alex Shabaan)! They were coached by faculty advisor Professor Robert Molko.

Congratulations to our students Alex Shabaan, Kylie Starr and Lynet Shigg for earning *five* awards at the Appellate Lawyers Association (ALA) Moot Court Competition in Chicago this weekend! The results: 2nd place overall; 2nd pl oralist (overall, Alex Shabaan), 1st pl oralist (semis, Alex Shabaan), 2nd pl oralist (semis, Kylie Starr), 1st pl oralist (prelims, Alex Shabaan)! They were coached by faculty advisor Professor Robert Molko.

AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION’S ELEVENTH ANNUAL TRIAL ADVOCACY COMPETITION

On Saturday, Two four-member teams of Western State students competed in the American Bar Association’s (ABA’s) Eleventh Annual Trial Advocacy Competition in the old Federal Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. Each of our mock trial teams conducted two complete three-hour trials against top teams from other California law schools. The teams competed once as the plaintiff’s advocates and once as the defendant’s to resolve an employment law dispute: whether exotic dancers should be classified as independent contractors or employees of an adult entertainment club. This was the first time that Western State has participated in the ABA’s mock trial competition.

The two Mock Trial teams were coached by Professor Donald Daucher and were comprised of Steve Bell, Suzie Kersh, Vanessa James, Jeanette Garcia, Danielle Cappy, Aaron Munoz, Nick Maranesi and Ariel Armendariz.

UCLA’s 2022 Cyberlaw Moot Court Competition

Andrea Valencia and Tori Paden finished second place for oral advocacy among a field of 24 teams. They were coached by Professor Tania Shah.