Appellate Advocacy Intramural Final Four
Pacific McGeorge's Appellate Advocacy program, culminating in the "Final Four" competition, is unique among law schools. While in most law schools students participate in Moot Court exercises, here students simulate a much more realistic litigation experience. Students work with a single case preparing and arguing a motion in the trial court through the appeals process following a judgment. This way, students see how the case evolves, applying attorneys' analytical skills to solve real litigation problems. Other schools have students prepare to argue only in the U.S. Supreme Court, but at Pacific McGeorge students experience the progress of a case in the same way the vast majority of attorneys experience it.
The competition begins in the Appellate and International Advocacy course, taken in the second or third year. The course is taught by professors with real-world litigation experience (Their 2002 case file was published by Aspen Publishing.) Students are taught not just courtroom theatrics, but to know and respond to judges' needs to understand the legal questions presented. The problems themselves are not just policy problems created by upper-division students, as is the case at other schools; they are designed to give the students the practical experience attorneys use and employers value.
Students begin by writing trial memoranda and presenting oral argument, providing them with a great writing experience and significant opportunity for oral argument while in a supportive setting. The case is then "decided" and the task becomes how best to appeal the judgment. At the beginning of Spring semester the briefs are submitted and students prepare to present their oral appellate arguments.
The competition continues as the top students are chosen for further competition, based on the quality of their briefs and oral arguments. Preliminary rounds are held among the top students, and in mid-March the field is narrowed to eight semifinalists. The competition heats up as those eight semifinalists compete to see who will be named to the Final Four.
Being named to the Final Four is a highly coveted honor. Final Four students have gone on to distinguished careers in every phase of litigation, and are among employers' most sought-after graduates. The Final Four Competition is held in late March and early April before a panel of judges currently holding seats on the Federal and State bench. The appearance before the judges is realistic, with the jurists asking tough questions of the competitors as they present their arguments, just as is the custom in practice. The competition is always exciting, and judges have consistently reported that students in the Final Four have developed advocacy skills making them truly practice-ready.
After the arguments, the judges dine with the competitors and prizes are awarded to the students presenting the Best Briefs by an Appellant and by an Appellee, and for the Best Oralist among the Final Four. The Final Four receive the Diana P. Scott Award. These significant awards reflect the accomplishments of dedicated students who have decided to get the most realistic appellate experience they can while in law school.
| April | Final Four Competition |
