Advocacy Center Expands Opportunities to Learn and Practice Legal Skills

Lewis & Clark Law School launched the Advocacy Center in 2023 to provide robust experiential learning opportunities for students in areas related to litigation, including trial, pre-trial litigation, negotiations, appeals, and client counseling, as well as competition teams for moot court, mock trial, negotiation, and client counseling. In its first year, the center launched four new courses, grew student participation and success in moot court and mock trial competitions, and made connections in the Oregon legal community.

In addition, law students who aspire to work in various litigation settings, from courtrooms to negotiation tables, can earn a new certificate in litigation and advocacy. The certificate requires rigorous coursework, practical experience, and mentorship engagements.

Advocacy Center Course

Four courses now train students in trial advocacy and provide simulated courtroom experience.

In Integrated Evidence and Trial Advocacy, students learn the rules of evidence and trial advocacy side-by-side, litigating a case fully through the semester and concluding with a full pretrial conference and final trial.

One student commented, “For someone like me who plans to litigate after graduation, I think there is no better way to learn the rules of evidence than by applying them in trial advocacy the way we did this semester.”

In Oregon Pretrial Advocacy students represent simulated clients in a case, from client intake through summary judgment; the work includes drafting pleadings, taking written discovery, taking depositions, and researching and drafting dispositive motions.

Appellate Advocacy introduces upper-level students to the fundamentals of appellate practice with discussions of effective appellate storytelling along with the foundations of good legal writing and oral argument.

Oregon Criminal Law takes students through a simulation working as a prosecutor or defense attorney in each stage of a hypothetical case, from arrest to sentencing. Students focus on six main stages of a criminal case (minus trial): complaint/arrest/grand jury/indictment; release decision; discovery; motions to suppress; plea negotiations; and, to a limited extent, sentencing.

Connecting with the Oregon Legal Community

The Advocacy Center works hard to connect students with practicing attorneys and judges in Oregon. The center hosted a trial skills college for new public defenders with the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and co-hosted speakers and happy hours with the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association for students interested in plaintiffs work.

To learn how you might share your expertise within our community, contact lawac@lclark.edu.

Moot Court and Mock Trial Competition Success

Lewis & Clark Law’s moot court team reached the quarterfinals of the National Trial Competition and was voted the “Most Professional Team,” a prestigious accolade that recognizes their dedication to professionalism and ethical behavior.

The center will host two major moot court event competitions in 2025, increasing our national recognition: the Pacific Northwest region National Trial Competition in February and the ABA Negotiation Competition in November.

Our mock trial competitors achieved their first ranking (24th in the country) according to the Gavel Rankings. The Advocacy Center plans to increase opportunities for students to compete at the highest level, increasing the number of mock trial and moot court competitions our students attend this year to 13 tournaments during the 2024–25 academic year.