Moot Court Honors Board (MCHB)

The Moot Court Honors Board is a student-run division of the school that creates and administers all mock trial, moot court, and negotiation competitions at California Western School of Law. The Board also organizes and runs the traveling teams that represent California Western School of Law throughout the nation.


Our General Board

Our Executive Board

Mission Statement

We, the Moot Court Honors Board, dedicate ourselves to implement, create, administer, and ensure, the highest quality moot court competitions, mock trial competitions, and advocacy events at California Western School of Law. Our vision is to create realistic and fair advocacy events to build and shape the advocacy skills of students, and create strong, professional traveling teams to represent our school throughout the nation.

Questions about Moot Court Honors Board? Email Emily Cunningham at ecunningham06@gmail.com.

1L Competition

1L competition is a spring event and is one of the largest intrascholastic events at CWSL with nearly 100 competitors. This competition is open to second trimester 1Ls. Each competitor performs an opening statement. Finalists are eligible for a Distinguished Advocate award.

Trial Competitions

There are two trial competitions each school year. The George N. Gafford Trial competition is held in the fall. The David M. Gill Trial competition is held in the spring. The Gill competition is open to anyone who has completed their first trimester of law school. The competition requires performing either an opening or closing statement and a direct or a cross. The Gafford competition is open to all 2Ls and 3Ls. The Gafford competition also requires performing either an opening or closing and a direct or a cross.

Finalists of the competitions are eligible to receive Distinguished Advocate (DA) Awards. With DA awards, students have the opportunity to take CWSL’s Trial Skills Class, also referred to as summer “boot camp”. The boot camp which is an intense summer session, for credit, teaches students valuable trial skills. Students who wish to be on trial teams must complete the boot camp to be eligible for a traveling team.

CWSL has had much local, regional, and national success with their traveling trial teams and has some of the best coaches in the nation.

ADR

There are Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) events throughout the year in the areas of negotiation and mediation. These competitions are the primary way students are selected for the traveling negotiation and mediation teams. In 2011, the negotiation team took 3rd place in their American Bar Association region, and the mediation team took 1st and 2nd in the State Bar of California competition.

Appellate

The William C. Lynch Appellate Competition is in both the fall and spring trimesters. The competition is open to 2Ls and 3Ls. Each competitor has seven minutes to present an appellate argument and field questions from a panel of three judges, including Professor Lynch. Finalists are eligible for a Distinguished Advocate award. The Appellate Committee also provides support for traveling appellate teams, which compete at moot court competitions around the country.

Spring 2013 Intraschool Competitions

Lynch Appellate Competition Prelims: January 28-29 @ 6:00 pm
Lynch Appellate Competition Finals: January 31 @ 7:10 pm

1L Competition Prelims: February 4-5 @ 6:00 pm
1L Competition Finals: February 7 @ 7:00 pm

Negotiation Competition Prelims: February 25 @ 6:00 pm
Negotiation Competition Finals: February 28 @ 7:00 pm

Gill Trial Competition Prelims: March 18-19 @ 6:00 pm
Gill Trial Competition Finals: March 21 @ 7:10 pm