Ole Miss Law Hosts 2015 Preliminary Moot Court Competition

The University of Mississippi School of Law hosted the Region 7 Preliminary Moot Court Competition in Oxford on Nov. 13-14. Courtesy UM School of Law

The University of Mississippi School of Law hosted the Region 7 Preliminary Moot Court Competition in Oxford on Nov. 13-14. Eleven teams from around the southeast traveled to Oxford to compete in the competition, with hopes of advancing to the finals of the 66th Annual National Moot Court Competition in New York City from Feb. 9-12.

The University of Mississippi and the University of Tennessee made the semi-finals, while Belmont University and the University of Alabama advanced to the finals. Alabama took home the championship for the region.

“This competition, along with all moot court competitions, gives students a chance to act as true advocates, just like they will as attorneys,” said UM Law Moot Court Board Chair, Mary Margaret Roark.

“By participating in competitions like these, law students are better equipped with the skills they need when they graduate law school.”

The team representing Ole Miss Law worked for six weeks prior to the competition, writing their briefs and preparing for oral argument. This year’s competition presented two issues to the competitors, one dealing with insider trading and the other addressing the admissibility of grand jury testimony.

Ole Miss had the opportunity to host this year’s preliminary rounds for the first time since the school moved to its new facility. In addition to hosting the competition, the school provided judges for each round. Over 60 attorneys from around Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama volunteered to grade the briefs and judge oral arguments.

The national competition for law students is co-sponsored by New York City Bar Association’s National Moot Court Competition Committee and the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Courtesy UM School of Law