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Oral Advocacy

Students often claim that the most frightening, yet favorite part of the 1L skills curriculum, is “oral argument.” Each student writes an appellate brief, representing either Appellant or Appellee, and then at the end of the semester presents an oral argument before a panel of two or three members of the Bench and Bar who serve as “Moot Circuit Court of Appeal Judges.”

Traditionally, this first oral argument experience was part of the traditional Tullis Moot Court Competition in the second year of law school. However, this excluded students who were already selected to serve on Law Review. Furthermore, the Professional Practice faculty wanted the first oral argument to be a pure learning experience. As a result, selection to the Robert Lee Tullis Moot Board is now, like Law Review, a voluntary student competition. Now all 1Ls are afforded the opportunity to participate in the first appellate oral advocacy experience.