Moot Court Honor Society

The following are answers to frequently asked questions about membership in the Moot Court Honor Society at St. John's Law School.

Who is eligible to compete for membership in the Moot Court Honor Society?

You are eligible to compete if you are a:

• First year day student;
• Second year evening student;
• First year part time students transferring to the full time program in the Fall; or
• Second year students who transferred to St. John’s last year;

And

• Are in good academic standing.

A student may defer their offer for Moot Court to their 3L year if they are accepted to both Moot Court and St. John’s Law Review so long as they do not accept an Executive Board position on Law Review.

How are members selected?
We use three criteria to select Moot Court Honor Society members:

• Oral argument portion of the Beauchamp Ciparick Competition;
• Overall GPA for the first year; and
• Legal Writing II grade (Spring Semester).

Students receive competition material through the Law School's TWEN portal. Prospective members then engage in oral arguments on these materials in the Beauchamp Ciparick Competition in August.

Why should I consider membership in the Moot Court Honor Society?
Moot Court Honor Society members develop practical legal writing and oral advocacy skills, which are essential to marketing your legal experience to prospective employers. Employers from private law firms, public interest firms, and government organizations and agencies seek candidates who have the practical experience that Moot Court affords.

What will I do as a member?
All new members of Moot Court will enhance their brief writing and oral advocacy skills through the “Appellate Advocacy-Moot Court” course taught by Alumni Jonathan Strongin and Cristin Connell.

In the Fall, the new members will serve on “bench teams” and act as the practice squad to prepare senior members for external competitions. In the Spring, new members will have the opportunity to compete as teams in external competitions.

All new members will compete in two internal competitions—one in the Fall and one in the Spring.

Do I get academic credit for participating in the Moot Court Honor Society?
During their first semester of membership, new members receive three credits for completing the "Appellate Advocacy — Moot Court" course. In addition, at the end of their first year, eligible members of Moot Court may run for Executive Board positions, which offer academic credit.

Does my participation satisfy any academic requirements?
Successful completion of the "Appellate Advocacy—Moot Court" course satisfies the Practical Legal Writing Requirement.

What if I have additional questions?
Please contact us. We are happy to answer your questions.

2023-2024 Executive Board

Executive Director:
Brigid Lynn

Managing Director:
Gabrielle Mompalao

Director of Internal Competitions:
Jordan Biener

Director of External Competitions:
Rachele Lena

Duberstein Competition Director:
Jonathan Fuller

Associate Competition Director:
Camila Morcos

Ron Brown Director of Outreach:
Shania Vincent

Director of External Relations:
Mairead Cooney

Senior Staff Members

Sandeep Brar

Keitha Duhaney

Yori Johnson

Thomas Meininger

Dennis Mossberg

Meredith Taylor

Junior Staff Members

Julio C. Almonte

Benjamin Bouwer

Ashton Bryan

Daniel L. Driscoll

Tayler Eynon

Anthony A. Giliberti

Michelle E. Gonikman

Brandon Kayemba

Meghan Loftus

Aria G. Lugo

Katharine L. Manganello

Lianna C. Meehan

Takunda Muziwi

Tess Nathan

Aaron Rathod

Daniel Ruderman

Jonathan Schloth

Daniella Sesto

Marianna Sheedy

Qianyuan Xu

Members of the Moot Court Honor Society hone their written and oral advocacy skills and gain practical research and writing experience by competing in a range of internal competitions held at St. John's School of Law and external competitions hosted at venues across the country.

Internal Competitions

Each year, Moot Court Honor Society members participate in the following internal competitions hosted at St. John's School of Law:

Hon. Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick ’67, ’03 HON Moot Court Competition
Held over the summer months, the Beauchamp Ciparick Competition is our entry-level competition for second-year day and third-year evening students. Held after the journal write-on, students prepare oral arguments based on the provided packet. The packet includes the record, sample briefs, and relevant case briefs. Students will argue both the petitioner and respondent side. Past and present Moot Court Honor Society members judge the oral arguments.

Honorable Milton Mollen Moot Court Competition
The Mollen Competition continues the oral advocacy portion of the Beauchamp Ciparick Competition. New Moot Court members argue the preliminary rounds and the top four competitors advance to the final round. In the final round, the competitors face a distinguished panel of judges, including Scott Mollen '72, a St. John’s Law alumnus and son of the competition’s namesake. The Mollen Competition typically begins in late September and concludes in early October.

Roy L. Reardon Moot Court Competition
Named in honor of distinguished alumnus Roy L. Reardon ’54, the Reardon Competition marks the culmination of the first year for new Moot Court Honor Society members. While they do not submit a brief, Reardon competitors have a unique opportunity to demonstrate the oral advocacy skills they developed during the year. Finalists not only face an impressive panel of judges, but also argue in front of faculty members, prominent alumni, administrators and students in the Law School’s Belson Moot Court Room. The Reardon Competition takes place from late March to early April.

Honorable Conrad B. Duberstein Moot Court Competition
The annual Hon. Conrad B. Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition is widely recognized as one of the nation’s preeminent moot court competitions. The competition promotes and recognizes the finest oral and written advocacy on significant issues in bankruptcy practice. Jointly sponsored by St. John’s University School of Law and the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), the competition is named in memory of St. John’s alumnus, former ABI Director and former Chief Judge Conrad B. Duberstein.

External Competitions

Each year, members of the Moot Court Honor Society at St. John's Law School compete in several prestigious external competitions in the New York and throughout the United States. The competition year is divided into two seasons—fall and spring. During the fall, only senior Moot Court members compete in external competitions. We typically send teams to:

• National Moot Court Competition
• Emory Civil Rights and Liberties Moot Court Competition
• Leroy R. Hassell, Sr. National Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition
• San Diego National Criminal Procedure Tournament

In the spring, following their completion of the Appellate Advocacy course, junior members are eligible to compete in external competitions. In past years, we have sent teams to:

• William B. Spong Invitational Moot Court Tournament
• ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition
• John J. Gibbons National Criminal Procedure Moot Court Competition
• Irving R. Kaufman Memorial Securities Law Moot Court Competition
• BMI Moot Court Competition
• NYU National Immigration Law Competition
• WVU National Energy and Sustainability Moot Court Competition
• Frank A. Schreck Gaming Law Moot Court Competition 

Established by the family and friends of the late Tyler Ramaker, a member of the Moot Court Honor Society, the Tyler Ramaker Memorial Award is awarded to the graduating Moot Court student who demonstrates outstanding service, leadership through action, dedication, and cooperative teamwork. The recipient will be selected by Dean Michael A. Simons based on the recommendation of the incoming Executive Board of the Moot Court Honor Society.

For more information on the Tyler J. Ramaker Award or to make a donation in support of the Award, please contact Brian J. Woods, Associate Dean for Law School Advancement, [email protected], 718-990-5792.