FIU Law’s Moot Court (Appellate Advocacy) Program emphasizes the development of brief-writing and oral-advocacy through state, regional, national, and international competitions against other law students. In these competitions, you will submit an appellate brief and then argue in front a panel of attorneys and state or federal judges from across the country.
During Fall of your 2L or 3L year, you may compete in an intramural moot court competition based on a real-world problem developed by the Moot Court Executive Board for a chance to compete on the national and international Moot Court travel team.
Local attorneys and judges evaluate the intramural competitors in a round robin and bracket styled competition that culminates in a championship round before a panel of state and federal judges.
Top-Level Competition
No. 2
in Florida
No. 21
in the Nation
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Moot Court Team, students must be:
- Enrolled in FIU Law
- In good academic standing
- Either 2L full-time or 3L part-time students
- Completed Legal Skills and Values I and II
Tryouts and Intramural Competition
To be eligible for the Moot Court team, students must take a two-credit pass/fail course called Appellate Procedure in the fall of their 2L year (or 3L year for part-time students) to learn advanced brief writing and oral advocacy skills.
Executive Board
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
President | Debora Rodriguez |
Chief of Staff | Ryan Scivally |
Vice President of External Competitions | Tyler Newland |
Vice President of Intramural Competition | Alexia Luckert-Morales |
Vice President of Intramural Competition | Samantha Hernandez |
Director of Oral Arguments | Grace Vanhooser |
Director of Public Relations | Clair Pelletier |
Director of Brief Grading | Ninel Lira |
Director of Competitions | Eduardo Paulino |
Faculty Advisor | Professor Rima Mullins |
Competitions and Awards
Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition
2024 – Regional Champion; National Finalists; Best Brief; Outstanding Oralist
Giles S. Rich Memorial Intellectual Property Moot Court Competition
2024 – Regional Finalists
ABA National Moot Court Competition
2024 - Quarterfinalists; Best Brief in Brooklyn Regionals
2023 - Best Brief Award
Billings, Exum & Frye National Moot Court Competition
2024 - Octofinalist; Third Best Orator
2023 - National Champions; Best Brief Award; Best Orator
E. Earle Zehmer National Moot Court Competition
2024 – Quarterfinalist
Florida Bar Association Robert Orseck Memorial Moot Court Competition
2024 – Quarterfinalist
2023 – Quarterfinalist
Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition
2024 – Octofinalist
2023 – Quarterfinalist
Claude Pepper Elder Law Moot Court Competition
2023 – Champion
New York City Bar Association National Moot Court Competition
2022 – Regional Champions