Participation Information
USC Gould School of Law

Qualifying for the Hale Moot Court Honors Program

Hale Moot Court Honors Program participants are second-year students; tryouts take place at the end of their first year.

Procedure and Policies for the Qualifying Rounds

1. In April of their spring semester, first-year students will have the opportunity to sign up for a Qualifying Round, which will be judged by Executive Board members and the participants of the Hale Moot Court Honors Program. The Qualifying Rounds will take place after all first-year students have completed the oral argument portion of their Legal Research, Writing, and Advocacy class.
   NOTE: Transfer students will have the opportunity to try out during a Qualifying Round to be held before the start of their second year at USC Gould School of Law.
2. The Qualifying Round will be based on the same fact pattern, issues, and case law that the first-year students have argued in the oral argument portion of their Legal Writing, Research, and Advocacy class.
3. First-year students will not be allowed to consult with Executive Board members or the participants of the Hale Moot Court Honors Program about the Qualifying Rounds--neither before nor after their individual round--but may contact the Faculty Advisor, Chair, Administrative Vice Chair, or Advocacy Vice Chair for administrative questions, such as scheduling.
4. Invitations will be extended to candidates in late summer, before the start of their second year.

Invitation to the Hale Moot Court Honors Program

The Executive Board extends invitations to candidates who excel in three different areas:

1. Oral Advocacy Component

   Most importantly, participants must be effective oral advocates. Therefore, a participant's qualification score is, in part, determined by performance in oral argument before Executive Board members and Hale Moot Court participants. The participant's performance in the oral argument portion of their Legal Research, Writing, and Advocacy class will not be considered.

2. Written Component

   Participants must also have strong written skills. Thus, another component of a participant's qualification score is based on the grade earned on the brief written in relation to the oral argument portion of their Legal Research, Writing, and Advocacy class.

3. Grade Point Average Component

   The Executive Board also considers the strength of prospective participants' cumulative grade point averages.

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