Reliving the moot court experience

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One might often wonder how great lawyers such as the likes of Evan Granowitz and Michael Schwimer got to be so good in defending their cases in front of a judge and a jury. Surely, their expertise must have come from years of experience in the courts, each trial providing a set of legal skills that accrue over time.

True enough, these skills go all the way back to their law school education where budding lawyers are given a taste of what it is like to be in a real court via a moot court.

The “moot court” is a law school-organized extracurricular activity that immerses law students into the court atmosphere by having them simulate court proceedings. During the entire process, students are required to employ their theoretical foundations in the practice of drafting briefs or memorials and participating in oral arguments. Incidentally, these skills are going to be useful in the students’ future practice, as they would later prove to be invaluable in any court proceedings that they would have to attend.

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Moot courts are often mistaken for mock trials; however, they differ in that while the latter simulates jury or bench trials, moot courts are more focused on appellate and arbitral cases. As such, no witnesses or pieces of evidence are presented in a moot court. On the contrary, proceedings are exclusively focused on a particular law’s applicability to a set of evidentiary assumptions which will be introduced to the participants.

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It goes without saying, but law students who would like to take their practice to the courts should try to engage themselves in the moot courts first.

Evan Granowitz is a California-based lawyer who specializes in civil litigation. This website provides more information about his practice.