Return of the Moot

After the nearly 3-year hiatus of Moot Court at the Law Magnet, it’s finally making a full comeback! Moot court is an extracurricular similar to the Mock Trial activity offered here at the Law Magnet, where the participants take part in simulated court or arbitration proceedings. While both moot and mock court train students in essential skills like briefing, argumentation, and strategizing, they differ in focus: mock court simulates trial procedures, while moot court emphasizes appellate arguments.Mock teaches students how to try a case and includes all the procedural protocols they would experience in a trial court; moot instructs students on skills needed for appellate court, focusing on oral argumentation before a panel of judges. While mock simulates a jury or bench trial, moot requires participants to argue the law and apply it on a fictional case.

The activity is being run by juniors Julissa Jaimes and Liliana Villa and is hosted in Mr. Zambrano’s room, 208, every Wednesday. Many underclassmen have joined and prove to be on their way to moot court success! Lots of our students have skillful argument and defense abilities that will continue to be sharpened and refined for their career aspirations.

Although it’s important to focus on the new students of moot court, it also seems necessary to consider the thoughts and feelings of those who were a part of the old team. Madeline Lunzer and Angel Diaz are both current seniors that took part in the activity their freshman year.

     Madeline Lunzer

How did you feel when you first found out that Moot Court was being discontinued?

“I was crushed when it was discontinued; heartbroken. I was confused because at the time no one would tell us why it was happening and we couldn’t find anyone to continue the club by being our sponsor. It was just over and it was so awful and devastating. It was so welcoming and accepting; the environment was small and close-knit compared to other activities. It was so fulfilling and to find out it was ending was so infuriating.”

How do you think the experience of participating in Moot Court before will compare to participating now that it’s back?

“Right now, it’s like the club is starting over from scratch. There’s a lot that we need to relearn and figure out. We’ve got to figure out the structure because there is such a huge gap from when the club was active, and we’re starting so late now so there’s a lot of catching up to do. How a club like this operates really depends on the coach, I think. The way that moot worked under our previous coach and the way it’ll work now is going to be different because they’re different people with different styles and different backgrounds. The amount of change that the Law Magnet has been through since my freshman year is also going to affect the way we operate but it’s going to be really exciting to see how things play out this year.”

How has the return of Moot Court influenced your interest or involvement in law-related activities?

“It definitely affected me coming into the Law Magnet and trying to figure out where I stood in the community. It opened my eyes to the different areas of law and the kind of work that I wanted to do. I wasn’t a fan of arguing as much and preferred being on the judges end, doing the research behind the scenes, or even international and higher court stuff. I can’t say that it being back will change much since so much time has passed and I’m a senior. I don’t see its revival affecting that for me, it’s more a way for me to go back to my roots and immerse myself in the thing that made me fall in love with law.”

     Angel Diaz

What changes or improvements would you like to see now that Moot Court is back?

“I like the smaller vibe of moot court that we have; I think it’s part of what always made it stand out to me. In terms of improvement, I’d really like it if we were able to meet twice a week. I also want us to be able to strengthen the teams in a better way, although I’m not sure how yet.”

What motivated you to rejoin Moot Court now that it’s available again?

“I really like that moot court emphasizes constitutionality in each case rather than arguing the facts like it’s done in mock. As the Law Magnet, I think it’s important to be able to critically analyze cases using the constitution as a filter in order to understand previous courts’ rulings, and moot allows for that to be learned.”

What advice would you give to new participants who have never been involved in Moot Court before?

“Do not expect it to be mock trial. Besides that, if you’re into the idea of figuring out why a judge rules in any given way, you should totally join moot because that’s the essence of it in my opinion.”

The return of Moot Court brings new and exciting opportunities for many students here at the Law Magnet.