TRYOUTS AND REQUIRED CLASSES FOR 2021-22 ADVOCACY TEAMS
Want to be a part of our award-winning advocacy program next semester?
Tryouts for Fall AND Spring teams will be held on the following dates:
Note – you can choose to tryout for a Fall team, a Spring team, or both, but the tryouts for all will be held on these dates. This includes all tryouts for BLSA competitions or any other student organization competitions for next year. No additional tryouts will be held for next school year. Alternates will be named in the event of a vacancy.
All students trying out need to email Jennifer Ellis at jellis@law.tamu.edu to receive an information sheet you will need to complete and submit.
Here is the link to sign up:
ADR (negotiation, client counseling, mediation): Tuesday, April 6th on Zoom, beginning at 5:00.
Do a 15-minute negotiation from the problem that will be emailed to you. You can sign up with a partner, or we will pair you with one. All students trying out for ADR will be sent general facts via email in advance. You will then be emailed the confidential facts and a side assignment 15 minutes before your tryout. Zoom details will be sent to you in advance.
Mock trial (trial advocacy): Tuesday, April 13, 2021 on Zoom beginning at 5:30 pm.
Do a 10 minute opening statement or closing argument from any fact pattern you choose, such as one of the fact patterns used for any LARW class. Zoom information will be sent to you in advance.
Moot court (appellate advocacy): Monday, April 19, 2021, on Zoom beginning at 5:00
Do a 5-8 minute argument of your choice from any oral argument you have done for a class (such as oral argument on a motion for summary judgment) or previous in-school competition, or any oral argument of your choice. You will be emailed Zoom information for your time.
If you are interested in writing a brief only, you do not need to attend tryouts. Just send a persuasive writing sample (like a motion written for class) to jellis@law.tamu.edu by 5:00 p.m. on April 19, 2021.
NOTE – all individuals trying out for BLSA moot court MUST submit a writing sample as well as tryout orally since it is only a 2 person team.
ELIGIBILITY AND REQUIREMENTS
Tryouts are open to all students with at least a 2.5 GPA – 1Ls and upper level students, part-time and full-time.
You can sign up to try out for one, two or all three. While you can only be on one team in a semester, you will be given an opportunity at tryouts to rank your preferences. It is not expected that you will need more than about an hour to prepare for your tryout. We are mainly looking for advocacy skills and not a thorough knowledge of the material at this point.
REQUIRED COURSES:
Mock Trial:
AND
2. All new mock trial students must register for Trial Advocacy for Mock Trial Students in the Fall, taught by Justice Lee Gabriel. It is a 3 hour experiential class that meets during orientation week from 6:00 – 9:00 PM AND one afternoon/evening during the full Fall semester. It is taught by Justice Gabriel.
ADR
All new ADR students will be required to take an ADR experiential course. There are plans to potentially add this new course to the course schedule. If the course can’t be added in time for Fall, 2021, then all new ADR students will take the Business Negotiator course.
Moot Court
1. All new moot court students must take LARW III – Appellate Drafting (taught by Professor Joe Spence)
AND
2. Moot Court Appellate Advocacy, taught by Professor Joe Spence, which meets in the orientation week from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
Students selected for teams can also receive class credit (1 pass/fail hour for ADR and 1 or 2 for moot court and mock trial) and satisfy the oral skills required for certification (except for brief writer only participants).
If you have questions, please contact Jennifer Ellis, Director of Advocacy programs, at jellis@law.tamu.edu.