Moot Court: Client Counseling School Competition

NOTE: This course description is new for the 2016-2017 academic year. You may read the prior course description immediately below this new one. 

2016-2017

Limit: 18 students

Client Counseling is designed to assist students in perfecting the interviewing, counseling, and communication skills necessary in the practice of law. This Moot Court competition based course is great practice for any student wanting to learn about and hone their client interviewing techniques. The Fall semester culminates in an intra-school competition.  

In preparation for school competition, students attend a weekly two-hour class which includes practical skills sessions. Classes are a combination of “hands on” practice, evaluation/feedback, class discussion, and guest speakers. Practice and competition interviews are done in teams of two.  Teams are selected near the beginning of the term. Only an even number of students may participate in the class given that interviews are done in teams of two. Enrollment is limited to a maximum of 18 students.

The subject of the competition, determined annually by the American Bar Association, is of current legal interest. Students are evaluated by local attorneys and counseling professionals for the intra-school, regional, national, and international competitions. The intra-school competition is tentatively scheduled for November 2016. Two teams are chosen to represent the law school at the regional competition which takes place during Spring semester (usually scheduled for early February).

Students are evaluated on attendance, practice rounds, and participation in the intra-school competition. There are no written exams or papers. The class is graded pass/no pass.

NOTE: Students MUST participate in the intra-school competition in order to receive a passing grade in this class. If students expect conflicts, then they should not register for this moot court class.

Skills:  Counseling

*Students may not earn more than six (6) credit hours in any one skill area.

NOTE: The below course description applied prior to the 2016-2017 academic year.

Limit: 18 students

Client Counseling is designed to assist students in perfecting the interviewing, counseling and communication skills necessary in the practice of law.  Although a Moot Court program, the class is useful for any student wanting to learn about and practice client interviewing techniques.

In preparation for a school competition, students attend a weekly one-hour class which includes practice sessions.  This class is a combination of class discussions, pertinent readings, “hands on” practice, and evaluation.  Practice and competition interviews are done in teams of two. Teams are selected at the beginning of the term, with students choosing their partners.  Teams remain the same throughout the semester and school competition.  Because interviews are done in teams, only an even number of students may participate in the class. Enrollment is even number only to a maximum of 18.

The subject for the competition, determined in advance by the American Bar Association, is of current legal interest. In the school competition, students are evaluated by local attorneys and counseling professionals.  The school competition is tentatively scheduled for November 2015. After that competition, one or two teams are chosen to represent the school at the regional competition on the second or third weekend of February 2016.

Note: In order to receive credit, students MUST participate in the school competition.  If students expect conflicts, they should not register for this moot court.

Skills:  Counseling

*Students may not earn more than six (6) credit hours in any one skill area.