Ames Moot Court Competition

Last updated

The Ames Moot Court Competition is the annual upper level moot court competition at Harvard Law School. It is designed and administered by the HLS Board of Student Advisers and has been in existence since 1911, [1] when it was founded by a bequest in honour of the erstwhile dean of the School who had died the year before, James Barr Ames. [2] Cases take place in a hypothetical United States state named Ames. [3]

Contents

Format and history

As currently structured, the official competition begins in the fall (usually October or November) of students' 2L year with a round-robin qualifying round. Each team at this stage consists of four participants, who each argue twice in teams of two. The four teams with the highest scores advance to the semi-finals in the spring. Each team is then allowed to add two participants, for a total of six people per team; two members of each team present oral argument in this round, typically before a panel of one federal appellate judge, one district judge, and one state court judge. In the competition's final round, held in the fall of the 3L year, the two remaining teams argue a case before a panel that usually consists of one U.S. Supreme Court justice and two judges from the United States courts of appeal. Prizes are awarded for the best brief, best oralist, and best overall team.

The competition originally was organized around the school's now-defunct law clubs. The competition occurs primarily in students' 2L year because the faculty found that, for students who did not finish at the very top of their first year class, "it [was hard] for them to take the same interest in their work, particularly in the work within the law clubs, participation in which depends entirely upon their own volition." Thus, to encourage students to continue working hard, the Ames finalists received prizes of $200 for first place and $100 for second place. After several years of a single-elimination tournament, the format changed to a round-robin that more closely resembles the current qualifying round structure. [4]

The final round competition is one of the most popular events at the Law School each year, especially because a justice from the U.S. Supreme Court usually presides. The Ames Final Round has occasionally been televised on C-SPAN.

Many have found the Ames competition to be a demanding but rewarding experience. Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey of the Colorado Supreme Court, an Ames semi-finalist in her time at Harvard, wrote that "what was most rewarding was the opportunity to work as a team with other students. We could debate, argue, and challenge each other as we analyzed the case and prepared the briefs. The process was much more satisfying than the routine of classroom lectures and solitary examinations. The Ames competition provided a realistic view of what practicing law could be like." [5]

Winners

Previous notable winners include: [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Law School of India University</span> Public Law School in India

National Law School of India University (NLSIU), or simply National Law School(NLS), is a public law school and a National Law University in Bangalore. The university was established by the NLSIU Act of 1986, which was passed by the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooklyn Law School</span> Private law school in New York City

Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a private law school in New York City. Founded in 1901, it has approximately 1,100 students. Brooklyn Law School's faculty includes 60 full-time faculty, 15 emeriti faculty, and adjunct faculty.

Moot court is a co-curricular activity at many law schools. Participants take part in simulated court or arbitration proceedings, usually involving drafting memorials or memoranda and participating in oral argument. In many countries, the phrase "moot court" may be shortened to simply "moot" or "mooting". Participants are either referred to as "mooters" or, less conventionally, "mooties".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of San Diego School of Law</span> Private law school in San Diego, California

The University of San Diego School of Law is the law school of the University of San Diego, a private Roman Catholic research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1954, the law school has held ABA approval since 1961. It joined the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Miami School of Law</span> Law school in Coral Gables, Florida, US

The University of Miami School of Law is the law school of the University of Miami, a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida.

DePaul University College of Law is the law school of DePaul University, a private Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. It employs more than 125 full- and part-time faculty members and enrolls more than 500 students in its Juris Doctor program. The school is recognized for its health law and intellectual property law programs, its experiential learning opportunities, and for its multiple joint degree programs offered in conjunction with other DePaul University colleges and schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National University of Advanced Legal Studies</span> Law school in India

The National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) / NLU Kochi is a public law school and a National Law University located in Kochi, India. It is the first and only National Law University (NLU) in the State of Kerala and is one of the 26 NLUs in India. Admissions to the university are done on the basis of the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) which is one among the Top 10 hardest entrance examinations of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willem C. Vis Moot</span> International moot competition

The Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot or Vis Moot is an international moot competition. Since 1994, it has been held annually in Vienna, Austria, attracting more than 300 law schools from all around the world and spurring the creation of more than 20 pre-moots each year before the actual rounds are held in Vienna. It is the largest arbitration moot competition, and second-largest moot overall, in the world; considered a grand slam or major moot. A sister moot, known as the Willem C. Vis (East) Moot, is held in Hong Kong just before the rounds in Vienna. It was established in 2003 and attracts around 150 teams every year, making it the second largest commercial arbitration moot and also a grand slam moot. It uses the same moot problem as the Vis Moot, as does the various pre-moot friendlies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition</span> Major international moot competition

The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, also known as the Jessup Moot or The Jessup, is the oldest and largest international moot competition in the world, attracting participants from almost 700 law schools in around 100 countries. The competition has been described as the most prestigious moot court competition in the world by a large number of organisations and universities internationally, and is one of the grand slam or major moots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hidayatullah National Law University</span> Public school and university in New Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India

Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU) is a public law school and a National Law University located in New Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India. It was named after the former Chief Justice of India, Mohammad Hidayatullah. It is one of the autonomous law schools in India and sixth in the series of such national law schools. It was established as a centre for legal excellence by the Government of Chhattisgarh under the Hidayatullah National University of Law, Chhattisgarh Act. The university offers a B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) integrated Program, an L.L.M. Program, and a PhD Course.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faculty of Law, University of Delhi</span> Law School of the University of Delhi

The Faculty of Law, University of Delhi is the law department of the University of Delhi. It has the unique distinction of producing the largest number of sitting judges of the Supreme Court of India.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law is a law school in Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin Hall (Harvard University)</span> United States historic place

Austin Hall is a classroom building of the Harvard Law School designed by noted American architect H. H. Richardson. The first building purposely built for an American law school, it was also the first dedicated home of Harvard Law School. It is located on the historic Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

The NKU Salmon P. Chase College of Law is the law school of Northern Kentucky University, a public university in Highland Heights, Kentucky. It provides both part-time and full-time programs of study that lead to a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree, as well as joint degrees in JD/Master of Business Administration, JD/Master of Health Informatics, and JD/Master of Business Informatics. The law school also has a program that leads to a LLM degree in U.S. law that is designed for internationally trained lawyers, and a program that leads to a MLS degree designed for individuals interested in developing a better understanding of the law as it affects their careers involving legal or regulatory issues.

Robert Braucher was an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from January 18, 1971, until his death.

Various moot court awards are annually given in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna as well as the Willem C. Vis (East) Moot in Hong Kong. The top prizes in Vienna are the Pieter Sanders Award, the Werner Melis Award, the Martin Domke Award, and the Eric Bergsten Award. Honourable Mentions are also awarded for the best oralists, memoranda, and teams that qualified for the knockout stages in the oral phase.

The National Moot Court Competition is one of the oldest and most prestigious moot court competitions in the United States. Co-sponsored by the New York City Bar Association and the American College of Trial Lawyers, the competition includes up to 191 teams from 124 law schools, who compete in regional competitions in November with the top two in each region advancing to the national competition held in the landmark House of the New York City Bar Association in February.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yong Pung How School of Law</span> School of Law of the Singapore Management University

The Yong Pung How School of Law is one of the six schools of the Singapore Management University. It was set up as Singapore's second law school in 2007, 50 years after the NUS Faculty of Law and 10 years before SUSS School of Law. Prior to its establishment as a law school, the school was a department within the School of Business between 2000 and 2007. The school was known as the SMU School of Law until 2021, when it was renamed after former Chief Justice Yong Pung How.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Price Media Law Moot Court Competition</span>

The Price Media Law Moot Court Competition or Price Moot in short, is an annual international moot court competition. Described as a competition "for raising the profile of freedom of expression by bringing informed and effective debate and discussion on significant issues of information flows and technology to many parts of the world", the Price Moot focuses on international media law and related human rights such as freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of association, and various facets of privacy. The main sources of law engaged include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, European Convention on Human Rights, and the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights. Recurring topics include online hate speech and the responsibility of internet intermediaries. With more than a hundred teams taking part annually, the Price Moot is the world's largest competition in its field and is considered one of the grand slam or major moots.

The LAWASIA International Moot Competition is an annual international moot court competition that is organised by LAWASIA, an international organisation mainly comprising bar associations, lawyers, judges, and academics. The moot problem ranges from international human rights to international commercial arbitration, and the venue of the competition rotates between LAWASIA member states as it is usually held in conjunction with the annual LAWASIA Conference. Up to 40 law schools from around the world take part in the moot each year; Malaysia is the only member state that conducts national rounds, of which the top two team teams — each university can send multiple teams — are selected for the international rounds. In the international rounds, teams would compete in up to ten rounds if they reach the championship final, which is usually judged by notable judges and practitioners.

References

  1. ↑ "BSA Website". Archived from the original on 2010-06-25. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  2. ↑ " ". Harvard Alumni Bulletin. Vol. 54, no. 13. Harvard Alumni Association. 1952. p. 536.
  3. 1 2 Gilmore, Grant (2015). The Ages of American Law: Second Edition. The Storrs Lectures Series. Yale University Press. p. 24. ISBN   9780300211047.
  4. ↑ "A Centennial History of Harvard Law". 1918. Archived from the original on 2021-10-04. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
  5. ↑ 27 Harv. Women's L.J. 367 (2004), available here Archived June 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "Past Winners of Ames Competition". Harvard Law School Board of Student Advisors. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.