Celebrating its 60th anniversary, the McBaine Honors Moot Court Competition is a beloved Berkeley Law tradition that generates abundant intensity, spirit, and gratification among students.
The competition aims to hone and test students’ written and oral advocacy skills. Following the model of U.S. Supreme Court practice, competitors represent either a petitioner appealing a lower court’s decision or a respondent arguing against that appeal. Each year’s competition problem is selected from actual appellate decisions, covering real-time issues of significant impact.
Students get the problem early in the fall semester and submit their briefs at the end of the term. While students may consult with both the student directors and the McBaine Academic Director, they receive minimal guidance and are prohibited from getting outside help on their briefs.
Judges, Berkeley Law faculty, and practitioners evaluate both the briefs and the preliminary oral arguments, early in the spring semester.
The brief counts for at least half the available points in the early rounds.
The final round is argued before a panel of esteemed judges drawn from state and federal courts.
Besides the overall winner, prizes are given for the best oral argument and the best brief from both the petitioner and respondent side.