The Moot Court Honor Society is St. John's University School of
Law's Appellate Advocacy program. It is the only honors
program at the Law School that allows its members to hone their
written and oral advocacy skills, which are essential aspects of
successful law practice. Moot Court members brief and
argue cutting-edge legal issues and compete in internal,
interscholastic, and national tournaments. The Moot Court Honor
Society provides a unique experience in which young advocates
interact with luminaries of our profession, including celebrated
St. John's alumni and judges from the state and federal bench. By
the completion of the program, Moot Court members will have not
only built an impressive array of advocacy skills and credentials,
but many will have developed relationships with future colleagues
and mentors.
In addition to participating in external moot court tournaments
sponsored by bar associations and nationally recognized law
schools, the Society runs three internal competitions, the Reverend
Joseph T. Tinnelly Moot Court Competition, the Judge Milton Mollen
Moot Court Competition, and the Roy L. Reardon Oral Advocacy Moot
Court Competition. In partnership with the American Bankruptcy
Institute Law Review, the Society administers the Annual Chief
Judge Conrad B. Duberstein National Bankruptcy Memorial Moot Court
Competition, hosted by the Law School. In fall 2007, we
instituted the Moot Court Appellate Advocacy seminar, a two-credit
course exclusively for entering Moot Court members. "Moot
Court Appellate Advocacy" is taught by Judge Gerald Lebovits, an
experienced advocacy instructor. Satisfactory completion of
the class fulfills the newly instituted Advanced Practice Writing
Requirement.
Over the last three years, members have placed in the finals and
semifinals of some of the most prestigious interscholastic and bar
association competitions. Teams have also won top prizes for
brief-writing in multiple tournaments. Current Moot Court
Members are working at top New York and Boston law firms, as well
as prominent governmental positions at the Department of Justice
and the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Moot Court invites second-year day and third-year evening
students to compete for membership in the Society, based on strong
academic performance in the first full year of law school and
demonstrated legal research and writing ability. Eligible
students enter the Reverend Joseph T. Tinnelly Competition held in
over the summer; successful competitors become members of Moot
Court.
2009-2010 Executive Director
Chris Hunker hunkercj@gmail.com
Faculty
Advisors
Professor Elyse Pepper, Professor Robert A. Ruescher, Professor
Julie E. Steiner
Conrad B.
Duberstein Moot Court Competition