MOOT COURT PROGRAM APPLICATION
Applications are due to jataylor@bu.edu by Noon on Friday, April 4.
Name:
Phone Number: _____________________
E-mail address:__________________________
Rank all positions in which you are interested, but only positions in which you are interested. If you are
interested in moot court teams, rank at least three choices (but preferably more, because if you choose only
three and you choose popular teams, you may not get the opportunity to participate in moot court next
year). Please read all of the attached information before making your choices. Rank positions by putting a
“1” before your first choice, “2” before your second choice, etc. Feel free to add a note in the “relevant
experience” section detailing your preferences further.
Team and board memberships carry significant responsibilities and time commitments. Please assess
honestly whether you are prepared to follow through on the commitment you will make to your teammates
and to the school.
Albers Moot Court Director (Albers prerequisite)
Stone Moot Court Director
Esdaile Moot Court Director
National Moot Court Team (Albers prerequisite. Location varies)
National Appellate Advocacy Moot Court Team (ABA. Location varies)
Oxford IP Moot Competition Team (IP coursework prerequisite. Oxford University, UK).
Sutherland Cup Moot Court Team (Constitutional Law, Catholic University Law School)
National First Amendment Law Moot Court Team (Vanderbilt University Law School)
Gibbons Criminal Procedure Moot Court Team (Seton Hall Law School)
Please list relevant experience for the positions you seek. If you are applying for a directorship, list any
relevant research/writing or administrative qualifications. If you are applying for a team involving a
particular area of the law, describe your experience in that area.
What other major time commitments will you have next fall or spring semester (job, journal, cert paper,
clinic, etc.)?
Which Stone Moot Court Problem did you argue? ____________________________________
Check if you participated in Albers. _______
Would you want to work with your partner again?
Yes ___________
No ____________
No opinion ____________
Please contact Jen McCloskey at jataylor@bu.edu if you would prefer not to work with any other
student. Directors and team members work closely together and must cooperate.
MOOT COURT BOARDS AND TEAMS
Eligibility: Participation in the Stone Moot Court Competition is a prerequisite for all positions listed below,
except for the Esdaile Board, which is also open to Writing Fellows. Participation in Albers Moot Court is
required only as indicated.
Responsibilities of Moot Court Team Members: In addition to fulfilling the responsibilities of participating
on a moot court team (writing the brief, extensively practicing your oral argument with your teammates and
faculty members), team members must serve as Preceptors for the Stone Moot Court Competition (with the
exception of the National Moot Court Team members, who serve as Preceptors for the Albers Moot Court
Competition). Preceptors for Stone are assigned to a Stone moot court case to grade all briefs on that case,
or grade all oral arguments on that case. Depending on the number of students participating in Stone,
Preceptors may have to grade up to thirty briefs or watch up to fifteen oral arguments. Additionally, IM
team members may be asked to serve as coaches and/or bailiffs (clerks) for the other intermural
competitions. Coaches will be responsible for traveling with their team to the competition, attending
coaches meetings at the competition, watching the team argue, and fulfilling any other necessary duties
during the competition. National Moot Court Team members serve as Albers Preceptors, grading all of the
Albers briefs and preliminary round oral arguments.
Team and board memberships carry significant responsibilities and time commitments. Please assess
honestly whether you are prepared to follow through on the commitment you will make to your teammates
and to the school.
DESCRIPTION OF BOARDS AND TEAMS
Please note that some Directors must work during the summer or during intersession, and many teams have
briefs due shortly after intersession in early January. (Please note that distribution and competition dates
vary from year to year). The numbers in parenthesis indicate the number of people on the board or team.
Moot Court Boards
Albers Directors (2): Prerequisite is participation in Albers. Write Albers moot court problem and
bench memorandum together during summer and fall (the problem is typically released in mid-January).
Administer Albers Competition in spring. Receive three academic credits during the fall term (but grades
released in the spring). Possibility of satisfying Upperclass Writing Requirement with moot court problem
and bench memorandum.
Stone Directors (3): Prerequisite is participation in Stone. Each director writes a Stone moot court
problem and bench memorandum during late spring and summer. Administer Stone Competition in fall.
Receive three academic credits during the fall term. Possibility of satisfying Upperclass Writing
Requirement with moot court problem and bench memorandum.
Esdaile Directors (4): Prerequisite is participation in Stone or Writing Fellow experience. Each
director writes an Esdaile moot court problem and bench memorandum during late summer and fall.
Administer Esdaile Program in spring. Receive three academic credits during the fall term (but grades
released in the spring). Possibility of satisfying Upperclass Writing Requirement with moot court problem
and bench memorandum.
Moot Court Teams (all are spring except National Moot Court)
National Moot Court (3): Pre-requisite is participation in Albers. Write brief in September and
October. Argue at regional competition in mid-November, and possibly at national competition in New
York in January. Case involves issues of federal constitutional or statutory law.
National Appellate Advocacy (3): Write brief in November – January. Argue at regional
competition (locations vary) in late February or early March, and possibly at national competition in April.
Case usually involves issues of federal constitutional or statutory law.
Oxford IP Competition (2): Write brief in fall, due in early December, and brief both sides. The
brief is actually used to determine which teams will be invited to compete. NOTE: It is possible that our
team will NOT be selected for competition; if this happens, the team will not travel to the competition or
compete at oral arguments. Argue at Oxford University (UK) in mid-March. Case can involve any area of
IP, including patent. Course work or employment experience in intellectual property law required.
Sutherland Cup (2-3): Write brief in January – February. Argue in District of Columbia, in late
March or early April. Case involves constitutional law issues.
National First Amendment (2): Write brief in December – late January. Argue in Nashville,
Tennessee, in mid-February. Case involves First Amendment issues relating to either free speech or religion
clauses.
Gibbons Criminal Procedure (2-3): Write brief in February – March. Argue in Newark, New Jersey,
in late March or early April. Case involves issues of criminal procedure.
SELECTION PROCEDURE
Completed applications are due to jataylor@bu.edu no later than Noon on Friday, April 4, 2014.
LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED!
A Committee composed of the Associate Director of the Legal Writing and Appellate Advocacy
Program (Jen McCloskey), the Albers Directors, and members of the National Moot Court Team, with
input from the Stone Moot Court Directors and Esdaile Moot Court Directors, will select next year’s moot
court directors and team members, subject to the approval of Professor Volk. The Committee will select
directors and team members according to the following guidelines:
1. All Stone and Albers participants are eligible for any director or team member positions, with the
exception of the Albers Moot Court Directors and the National Moot Court Team. Individuals applying for
those positions must have competed in the Albers Competition.
2. The Committee will consider the relative strengths of potential team members in terms of oral
and written advocacy. In selecting teams for specialized Competitions, the Committee will take into account
demonstrated interest and experience in that area of the law.
3. For director positions, the Committee will focus on an applicant’s writing and research skills.
4. The Committee will give preference to Albers participants and, among those participants, to
finalists and semi-finalists.
5. The Committee will consider applicants’ failure to adhere to the Rules of the Albers and/or Stone
Competitions, including failure to submit briefs in a timely manner.
Professor Volk will announce the 2014-2015 Directors and
team members at the Albers reception on April 10, 2014.
An email announcement will follow.