Notre Dame Law School Moot Court
Student Membership
Dave Kilduff (’24), Alyce Hammer (’24), Zack Beculheimer (’24)
1L Tournament
The Notre Dame Moot Court Board recruits new oralists each year through the 1L Tournament. To try out for an Oralist position, NDLS students may take part in the 1L Tournament during the second semester of their first year. This knock-out style tournament tasks teams of two to argue in front of Moot Court Board members using the arguments they have prepared for their Legal Writing II class. Final oralists have the opportunity to argue in the Courtroom in front of a real judge!
Every NDLS 1L is encouraged to participate in the tournament as the Moot Court Board is selected based strictly on preliminary round arguments (meaning any advancement in the tournament is not factored into selections). Advancement is purely for fun and school pride, and the 1L Tournament is an event that the whole school loves to watch and support. To try out for a Brief Writer position, 1Ls may simply submit their portion of the brief that they wrote in Legal Writing II. Students are encouraged to try out for both Oralist and Brief Writer positions.
Past 1L Tournament Champions
| Year | Winning Team | Best Oralist | Best Brief Writer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Zack Beculheimer & Alyce Hammer | Dave Kilduff | Sonia Patel |
| 2021 | Courtney Klaus and Jeremy Wang | Courtney Klaus | Samantha Mariani |
| 2020 | N/A due to COVID-19 | Ambris Saravanan | Reid Edwards |
| 2019 | Rachel Palermo and Vivian Pham | Vivian Pham | Caleb Acker |
Internal Tournament
All NDLS rising 2Ls who have been extended an offer to join the Moot Court Board are asked to write a brief, and, if that student has been selected as an Oralist, prepare an oral argument using a prompt written and prepared by the legal writing faculty. 2Ls will submit their team preferences and briefs, and give their oral arguments shortly after beginning the fall semester. These briefs and oral arguments are factored into the placement of each 2L onto one of ND Moot Court’s five teams.
2L & 3L Participation
2Ls and 3Ls Moot Court Board Members are encouraged to explore opportunities for external tournaments and represent Notre Dame Law School in competitions of their choosing. We welcome you to explore the External Tournament page for recent accomplishments.
2L members aid their 3L teammates in preparing for the team’s competition and participate in workshops to continue to hone both their written and oral advocacy skills throughout the year. As 3Ls, members will compete with their team. Check out the team pages for information about the teams and their recent accomplishments!
© 2022 Notre Dame Moot Court
Notre Dame Moot Court Board 