295.3J sec. 001 - McBaine Honors Competition (Fall 2023)
Instructor: Gregory Derrell Washington
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Units: 1
Grading Designation: Credit Only
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Course End: December 06, 2023
Class Number: 32660
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 13
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 36
As of: 02/07 02:03 PM
The James Patterson McBaine Honors Competition is Berkeley Law’s highly-esteemed moot court competition and is open to all second- and third-year J.D. students as well as all LL.M. students. McBaine is an intense yet gratifying educational experience. Competitors will prepare 1 appellate brief during the fall semester and deliver at least 2 oral arguments during the spring semester. Cases chosen for the competition involve cutting-edge issues of great public importance. The final round judges are typically among the most renowned jurists in the nation.
McBaine participants will receive 2 units for satisfactory participation in the competition -- 1 unit for completing the brief in the fall semester, and 1 unit for completing at least 2 oral arguments in the spring semester. An introductory meeting will be hosted by the student directors early in the fall semester. McBaine is primarily a self-guided competition and does not have a regular classroom component.
Students who register for the competition will be required to complete a commitment form in addition to course registration affirming their decision to participate in both the fall and spring semesters. Multiple lunchtime training sessions will be made available to students enrolled in the competition to help them prepare by providing limited guidance on topics like research, brief writing, and oral argument. While this is primarily a self-guided competition, it is also an educational experience, and participants are highly encouraged to attend all training sessions to maximize their learning and chance of success in the competition. Students can schedule individual meetings throughout the course of the competition with the student directors of the McBaine Competition and/or Greg Washington, the McBaine Academic Director. McBaine is also supervised by Natalie Winters, Director of the Advocacy Competitions Program.
Students will submit their final briefs at the end of the fall semester, with the option to receive limited feedback beforehand by submitting a draft brief to the student directors and the McBaine Academic Director. All briefs will be evaluated by a panel of experienced practitioners who, in coordination with the McBaine Academic Director, will determine the Best Brief winners for Respondent and Petitioner (to be announced at the McBaine Final Round in the spring semester).
Judges and current legal practitioners will review all McBaine briefs as well as initial rounds of oral arguments. Oral arguments will occur during competition rounds which will take place in the evening in early spring semester. (Competitors with evening childcare responsibilities or other serious evening conflicts should contact the student directors as soon as possible. We will try in good faith to accommodate these conflicts.)
This course is subject to the overall three-unit maximum for competition work. Please note that there is an overall 18-unit maximum for non-law/non-classroom work. (see Academic Rules 3.1(b)(2) and Rule 5 at https://www.law.berkeley.edu/academics/registrar/academic-rules/)
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Exam Notes: (P) Final paper
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Course Category: Simulation Courses
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