UCLA
Moot Court Honors Program
Oral Argument Workshop
What to expect …
Be here early –
first round starts
promptly at 9am.
 Rounds will be
held in classrooms
and the Moot
Courtroom

Getting to your room…

Get to your assigned room 5 minutes
early to familiarize yourself with it, ie
where you stand, where the judges sit.
What to bring with you…
A bottle of water (believe us)
 A copy of your brief
 A few pages of notes, and nothing else
 What should be in your notes (in order):

Concise statement of what you’re asking for
 Checklist of your key arguments / counters
 Brief notes on importance of key cases

What NOT to bring with you…
The cases
 A pen or anything else you can wave
 Cell phone

Etiquette
Keep your feet on the floor and your
hands on the podium.
 Practice, practice, practice. Good: a
mirror. Better: a friend. Best: a videotape.
 Speak s-l-o-w-l-y.
 Smile 
 Ladies: pull back your hair.
 Button your jacket.

Pre-argument preparation
Once you’re in the room …
 Timekeeper will ask the judges in which
order the advocates will argue.
 Timekeeper will call the session to order,
announcing judges names, etc.
 The Chief Justice will prompt the first
advocate to speak.

What to say first…
“May it please the court, my name is
[blank], and my co-counsel [blank] and
I represent [Petitioner or Respondent]”
 Then you start arguing …

Starting out strong…
1.
2.
3.
State what you want the Court to do
(reverse or affirm)
State that there are [number of]
reasons the Court should rule in your
favor
State each reason, in strongest to
weakest order, in one sentence
Preparing for questions…
Be prepared for a question before you
finish summarizing your arguments
 If you’re interrupted, stop talking and
listen carefully to the question
 Answer the question posed and nothing
else – don’t try to evade it
 If unclear about the question, politely ask
for clarification before answering

Take your time before answering…
Make sure you completely understand
the question before answering
 Taking a moment to gather your
thoughts is not a sign of weakness

Dealing with questions…
Never interrupt the judges, even if they
interrupt your answers
 Don’t battle the judges – be persuasive
but not pushy

Interacting with the judges…
Don’t fight the hypothetical – use it to get
insight about the judge’s thoughts
 Minimize the brown-nosing – don’t tell
them they just asked a good question

Transitioning
After you finish answering a question,
transition back to your main point
 Do not stop and wait for another
question

Concluding…
When you’re down to one minute left, or
have just exceeded your time, ask for a
moment to conclude
 State in one sentence what you want the
court to do and why (briefly)
 If you left out a key point in your
argument, this is where to mention it
briefly

Stepping down after glory…
Upon finishing, sit back down calmly
 If you’re following another advocate, let
him/her sit down before you stand up.
 Don’t fall asleep.
 No high fives.
 Good Luck!
