Every fall semester the moot court board organizes an appellate competition dedicated to the Honorable Robert H. Bork. As one of the most distinguished figures in American legal history and a founding father of Ave Maria School of Law, the Moot Court Board is honored and privileged to host this annual competition in Judge Bork’s honor and memory. The competition is open to second and third year students.

In the spring semester of each school year the Moot Court Board organizes the St. Thomas More Trial Competition. Second and third year students who have completed Evidence and Trial Advocacy are able to compete. The teams consist of two student advocates who prepare an argument for either plaintiff or defendant. The trial consists of either a criminal or civil dispute. The first round is argued at the Collier County Courthouse and Ave Maria Law School hosts the final round.

The prestigious New York City Bar Moot Court Competition, otherwise known as the National Moot Court Competition, began in 1950. It is co-sponsored by the New York City Bar Association and the American College of Trial Lawyers. Every year over 150 law schools from across the country enter teams to compete in one of the fifteen regional rounds. These regional rounds take place during November with teams aspiring to reach the final rounds in New York during February. The New York City Bar hosts the competition’s final round. Students argue in front of a distinguished panel of judges from the New York legal community.

The Costello competition is uniquely designed by Judge Jonathan Thacher to take participants outside the typical realms of law school competitions. By revealing unknown facts and witnesses as the competition progresses, the Costello competition simulates the evolving and unexpected nature of real-life criminal trials. This dynamic design provides competitors with a realistic experience as counsel in a criminal trial and an exciting take on trial advocacy! Each trial will take place in a courtroom at the Fairfax County Judicial Center in front of three judges. All competition judges are local judges and practitioners, and a real judge will preside over each trial! Judges and competitors will use the Virginia Rules of Evidence as well as the Virginia Rules of Criminal Procedure.

The ABA Law Student Division hosts the National Appellate Advocacy Competition, which hones both brief writing and oral advocacy skills. Competitors participate in a hypothetical appeal to the United States Supreme Court. Student advocates are given a legal issue involving the First Amendment. Hundreds of teams from throughout the country participate in this competition. All students choosing to compete must be members of the ABA Law Student Division. In addition to this competition the ABA Law Student Division offers job assistance, leadership training, public service opportunities, and career development programming.

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — the cornerstone of American democracy — is the focus of the Seigenthaler-Sutherland Cup National First Amendment Moot Court Competition. The Seigenthaler-Sutherland Cup National First Amendment Moot Court Competition will be conducted at the Columbus School of Law, The Catholic University of America; and at the Newseum, in Washington, D.C. The competition attracts teams from leading law schools nationwide. During the two-day competition, teams argue hypothetical case based on a current First Amendment controversy before panels of accomplished jurists, legal scholars and attorneys.

The National Baseball Arbitration Competition, organized by the Tulane Sports Law Society, is a simulated salary arbitration competition modeled closely on the procedures used by Major League Baseball (MLB). Like many moot court competitions, the National Baseball Arbitration Competition’s main goal is to provide participants with the opportunity to sharpen their oral and written advocacy skills. However, the competition is unique because it allows law students to improve these skills within the specialized context of MLB’s salary arbitration proceedings. This annual competition is held in the spring semester at Tulane University Law School. At the conclusion of the arbitration competition the Tulane Sports Law Society hosts a panel of experts to discuss legal issues related to baseball.

Robert Orseck was a renowned appellate attorney in South Florida. His fifteen years of practice played a significant role in the development of the common law in Florida. Mr. Orseck was noted for his style, integrity, and unparalleled understanding of complicated factual and legal problems in arguing before the Appellate Courts of Florida. His practice led to over 350 decisions in both the Southern and Federal Reporter, with 159 of those decisions resulting in opinions. Friends and colleagues of Mr. Orseck have donated the awards given at the competition in his honor. Awards are presented to the runner up, best oral advocates, best brief, and first and second place teams overall. The competitions hypothetical legal problem, released in late April, always presents a thought-provoking issue encompassing Florida law. Each law school may send one team consisting of two or three students. Each team must submit a brief that is no longer 25 pages of text and complies with the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure.

The tournament will bring together competitors, scholars, and practitioners in the field of religious freedom from across the country for a dialogue on a religious freedom topic. This tournament encourages legal thought and practice in the realm of religious freedom, to confirm Notre Dame University’s commitment to academics in a community of faith, and welcome peers and future colleagues in a way that embodies the spirit of Notre Dame."