Student Competitions

Advocacy competitions can form an integral part of the law school experience.  Participation in competitions not only allows students to build their legal skills but also helps them gain practical experience that facilitates their success in the legal profession.

At UMass Law, students have multiple opportunities outside of the classroom to continue to build their skills through competitions. We have a tradition of excelling at advocacy events and encourage new participants.

Advocacy Competitions

Trial Advocacy

Students at UMass Law are able to participate in both mock trial competitions and moot court competitions. Mock trial competitions simulate a case heard in a lower-court trial and require knowledge of the rules of evidence and trial advocacy. Moot court competitions simulate appellate proceedings and involve drafting a brief and performing oral arguments. Trial advocacy competitions our students have participated in include the Jessup International Moot Court Competition, the National Moot Court Competition, and the National Trial Competition.

Client Counseling and ADR

UMass Law students who have completed Legal Skills III may be eligible to participate in the ABA’s Client Counseling Competition, which assesses fundamental lawyering skills such as interviewing and counseling clients. Interested students should contact Dean Cahill. In addition, students who have taken ADR may be eligible to participate in the ABA’s Mediation Competition, which focuses on the ability to effectively advocate for a client’s interests and work with other parties to achieve an effective settlement. Interested students should contact Professor Vaughan-Thomas.

Advocacy teams are formed in the spring semester prior to the competition year. Interested students should attend spring semester information sessions to learn more about tryouts for the upcoming year.

Legal Writing Competitions

Students at UMass Law are encouraged to participate in a wide variety of legal writing competitions. For a comprehensive list of writing competition opportunities organized by subject area, please see iCompete Writing.