Thematic Moot Court: Brief Notes and Materials Part I (Units 1 to 3) Elias N. Stebek St. Mary’s University College, Faculty of Law Sponsored by Justice and Legal System Research Institute Addis Ababa, Ethiopia September 2009 JUSTICE AND LEGAL SYSTEM RESEARCH INSTITUTE Thematic Moot Court: Brief Notes and Materials Elias N. Stebek St. Mary’s University College, Faculty of Law General Introduction (pages 1-4) Part I (pp. 5-132) Part II (pp. 133- 253) ii Thematic Moot Court: Brief Notes and Materials (September 2009) Contents Page Contents ................................................................................................................... iii Preface ...................................................................................................................... vi General Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 Part I – Moot Court: Purposes, Preparation and Briefs Overview .................................................................................................................. 5 Unit 1- Learning and Competitive Aspects of Moot Court 1.1- Specific Learning Outcomes ................................................................................. 6 1.2- Unit Introduction .................................................................................................... 6 1.3- Tasks: Week 1 ........................................................................................................... 9 1.4- Readings: Week 1 Reading 1: Introductory excerpts ........................................................................ 10 Reading 2: Darby Dickerson, “In Re Moot Court” .............................................. 12 Reading 3: Michael V. Hernandez, “In Defense of Moot Court…” .................... 17 Reading 4: Alex Kozinski, “In Praise of Moot Court –Not!” ............................... 21 Reading 5: Graves & Vaughan “The Willem C. Vis ... Moot…” ........................ 31 Reading 6: J. Waincymer “… Legal Education through ... Moot Program …” ... 39 Review Exercises .......................................................................................................... 59 Unit 2- Research and Analysis 2.1- Specific Learning Outcomes ............................................................................... 61 2.2- Unit Introduction .................................................................................................. 62 2.3- Tasks: Weeks 2 and 3 .............................................................................................. 64 2.4- Readings: Weeks 2 and 3 Reading 1: Schmedemann & Kunz, The Structure of Legal Rules ...................... 66 Reading 2: Murray & DeSanctis (Readings 2.1 to 2.6) ...................................... 72 - Rule of law and legal reasoning (72) - Organization of legal writing (75) - Editing tips (81) - Legislative history (83) - Strategies for research and determining when you are finished (85) - Adversarial legal writing (89) Reading 3: Diane Penneys Edelman, [Research for Jessup memorials] ............... 92 Contents iii Review Exercises .......................................................................................................... 99 Unit 3- Brief Writing [[ 3.1- Specific Learning Outcomes ............................................................................. 102 3.2- Unit Introduction ................................................................................................ 102 3.3- Tasks: Weeks 4, 5 and 6 ........................................................................................ 104 3.4- Readings: Weeks 4, 5 and 6 Reading 1: Criteria for judging memorials & briefs (Readings 1.1 – 1.3) ..... 106 Reading 2: Brian L. Porto, The Art of Appellate Brief Writing ........................... 112 Reading 2: Pregerson & Paiter-Thorne, 7 Virtues of … Brief Writing ............ 119 Reading 3: Murray & DeSanctis, Appellate Briefs .............................................. 123 Reading 4: Tips on the Structure of Briefs (Readings 4.1 and 4.2) ................ 126 Review Exercises ........................................................................................................ 128 Part II – Oral Rounds (Weeks 7 to 16) Overview .............................................................................................................. 133 Unit 4- Oral Augment and Persuasion Skills [[ 4.1- Specific Learning Outcomes ............................................................................. 135 4.2- Unit Introduction ................................................................................................ 136 4.3- Tasks: Week 7 ........................................................................................................ 140 4.4- Readings: Week 7 Reading 1: Robert J. Martineau, Fundamentals of Modern Appellate Advocacy .. 141 Reading 2: Graves & Vaughan, Advocacy and the Art of Persuasion ................ 148 Reading 3: Schmedemann & Kunz, The Science of Advocacy ........................... 151 Reading 4: Michael Vitiello, Teaching Effective Oral Argument Skills ............... 157 Reading 5: Shepherd & Cherrick, Advocacy and Emotion .................................. 165 iv Thematic Moot Court: Brief Notes and Materials (September 2009) Unit 5- Sample Thematic Moot Courts [[ 5.1- Specific Learning Outcomes ............................................................................. 173 5.2- Unit Introduction ................................................................................................ 173 5.3- Tasks: Week 7 to 16 ............................................................................................... 177 Initial Rounds (Weeks 8 to 14) Advanced Rounds (i.e. Semi final and final) Semifinal oral contest (Week 15) Final round oral contest (Week 16) 5.4- Readings: Section 1- Jessup Reading 1: About Jessup (Readings 1.1 & 1.2) ................................................. 179 1.1- Oral round grading 1.2- Frequently Asked Questions about the Jessup Competition Reading 2: Jessup Official Rules (2010), Rules 6-8, 10 & 11 ............................ 190 Reading 3: Harry H. Almond, Jr., “Strengthening … Jessup … ....................... 208 Section 2- African Human Rights Moot Court .......................................... 217 Reading 4: African Human Rights Competition ............................................. 219 4.1- About African Human Rights Competition ........................... 219 4.2- Official Rules: Instructions to Judges ...................................... 220 4.3- Sample score sheet ..................................................................... 222 4.3- Sample moot problem ............................................................... 223 Section 3- APAP’s Moot Court Reading 5: APAP’s Moot Court Competition .................................................. 229 5.1- Rules of APAP’s Moot Court Competition ............................ 229 5.2- Written pleading score sheet .................................................... 233 5.3- Score sheet for the selection of Best Oralist ............................ 234 5.4- Oral argument score sheet ........................................................ 235 5.5- Sample moot problem ............................................................... 237 Annexes (I to IV) ............................................................................................................. 241 Bibliography .................................................................................................................... 253 __________ Contents v Preface Thematic Moot court is an elective course offered under the designation (… University Moot Court. It has the objective of facilitating the efforts of students to deepen and reinforce the advocacy skills nurtured in other courses that deal with trial advocacy and appellate advocacy. Law schools are expected to design at least one thematic moot court course depending upon legal issues that need to be explored through research and advocacy from the perspectives of a petitioner and respondent. The themes might be Family Law, Successions, Law of Property, Contracts, Criminal Law, Human Rights, etc. based upon the area chosen by the law school. The other option could be thematic choice based on the law school’s plans to participate in national moot court competitions such as the one organized by APAP (Action Professionals’ Association for the People). The theme of the moot court can also be determined based on a law school’s plans to participate in regional and international moot courts. This reading material has two parts. Part I discusses the purpose of moot court and it deals with the phases of preparation and brief writing. Part II addresses Oral Rounds with particular focus on the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition which can be used as a sample thematic moot court competition with regard to guidelines and assessment mechanisms. Ethiopian law schools have been participating in various regional and international moot courts such as Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition held in Washington DC, African Human Rights Moot Court Competition held in various African countries, ELSA (European Law Schools Association) Moot Court Competition (on International Trade) and others. Thematic moot court will indeed create a conducive training ground for students who aspire towards success in such national, regional and international moot court competitions.