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An Introduction to the
Moot Court Board |
| Duke's Moot Court Board is comprised of students who practice
the highest level of oral advocacy in the school. Entry onto the
Board is available solely through competitive tournaments in
either the first year (Hardt Cup competition), the second and
third years (Dean's Cup competition), or through tryouts for the
Jessup competition. Approximately 85% of the Board's membership is
comprised of students who earned membership positions via the
Hardt Cup competition. |
| What the Moot Court Board does: |
| The Moot Court Board allows students at Duke to participate in
Board activities and Moot Court competitions. Moot Court is
appellate advocacy, where students act as if they are arguing a
case on appeal to the Supreme Court, a circuit court, or a state supreme court. |
| The entirely student run Moot Court Board is unique among law
school organizations because of its eclectic activities. Within
the law school the Board assists the legal research and writing
instructors in teaching appellate advocacy and organizes and runs
the Hardt Cup and Dean's Cup competitions. |
| Outside the law school the Board sends teams to
interscholastic moot court competitions covering a variety of
topics including intellectual property, products liability,
securities, labor, and constitutional law. |
| Why you should participate: |
| Participating in Moot Court gives members a chance to hone
their speaking, advocacy, and critical thinking skills--all of
which serve one in the real world. Members are also afforded the
opportunity on several occasions to meet judges and visit cutting
edge problems in a variety of areas of the law. Most importantly,
Board members can compete in interscholastic tournaments which
offer competitors the opportunity to build expertise in a field,
test themselves against the skills of students at other schools,
and win accolades. |
| Who should participate: |
| EVERYONE! Competing in the Hardt Cup or Dean's Cup not only
helps to build advocacy skills, but also helps to sharpen your
public speaking and legal analysis skills. Participation in Moot
Court competitions is a benefit to every law student, regardless
of what type of law you intend to practice. The skills are not
only beneficial for future trial attorneys. The ability to speak
persuasively and think on your feet is invaluable in all types of
legal careers. |
| Requirements of membership: |
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The top finishers in the Hardt Cup, Dean's Cup, and Jessup
tryouts are extended invitations to join the Moot Court Board.
Each Board member is required to fulfill at least one
participation credit prior to graduation. This requirement can be
fulfilled in a number of ways including competing in one
interscholastic competition or holding an Executive Board
position. In addition, all Board members are required to help
judge the intramural competitions sponsored by the Board.
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THE
POYNER
MOOT COURTROOM
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| Many of the Moot Court
Board's activities and events are conducted in the Law
School's James M. Poyner Moot Courtroom. |
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| The Poyner Moot
Courtroom was completely redesigned and reappointed over
the summer of 2000 as part of the Law School's "Millennium
Renovation." With its handsome, wood paneling
and intelligent lighting, the courtroom is now intimate
and elegant. A bevy of integrated technology makes
possible videoconferencing and webcasting, as well
as remote monitoring of jury deliberations for mock
trial purposes. |
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| In recent years the
courtroom has served as the site for sessions of the
North Carolina Supreme Court and the United States Court
of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, providing members of
the law school community with the opportunity to observe
on campus oral advocacy at its highest level. |
| The preceding comments
are, in part, drawn from Professors Richard Danner
and Thomas Metzloff's article, Rethinking the
Classroom: Duke Law School's Millennium Renovation,
DUKE LAW
MAGAZINE,
pp. 14 - 17 (Spring 2001). |
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