Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Competitions and Moot Courts

William E. McGee National Civil Rights Moot Court Competition

Competition: Virtual format

Mitchell Hamline School of Law will host the William E. McGee National Civil Rights Moot Court Competition.

We are committed to providing an outstanding experience for our student competitors. Student competitors and volunteer judges will meet in a Zoom courtroom for the arguments. A volunteer “bailiff” will be in the Zoom room ready to help with any tech-related questions. Each student team will participate in two preliminary rounds of oral argument. In each round, students will argue for approximately an hour, and will then be invited to break-out rooms while judges deliberate. Following the deliberations, judges will offer constructive feedback on the students’ performance. The top four teams will advance to the semifinal rounds on Saturday, and the winning teams from the semifinal rounds will compete in the championship round Saturday afternoon.

Invitation

Mitchell Hamline School of Law is pleased to invite your school to participate in the 2023-24 William E. McGee National Civil Rights Moot Court Competition.

We are finalizing the problem for this year and it will be released in late October.

Application requirements and procedures – NOW OPEN

Final McGee Applicaiton 202324

Registration fee and payment

The registration fee is $475 per team or $900 for two teams.

Questions?

For registration questions, contact Debbie Nelson at 651-290-8642 or debra.nelson@mitchellhamline.edu.  We look forward to your participation.

*For MHSL Students who wish to tryout for the MHSL McGee Team(s)*

Mitchell Hamline is excited to field a team(s) at the 39th Annual William McGee Moot Court Competition, organized by Mitchell Hamline School of Law. The competition will be virtual from March 6-9, 2024.  Students who are chosen to participate receive 2 credits.

The first task for the students chosen for the Mitchell Hamline McGee team(s) will be to write an appellate brief. The brief must be written by the student members of the team(s) without assistance from faculty or others. The moot court problem is scheduled to be released in late October 2023. The due date for filing and serving the brief is January 30, 2024.

Once the brief is filed and served, students will then develop oral arguments with the assistance of faculty coaching ahead of the preliminary oral arguments in March 2024. Team members should plan to invest a significant amount of time each week working on the brief and preparing for oral arguments.  Students must have completed their first year to be considered. Blended students are encouraged to participate.

Professor Vonda Brown will coach the MHSL McGee Team(s).  Please submit the following application materials to her at vonda.brown@mitchellhamline.edu by Friday, October 6, 2023, at 5 p.m.

  • Submit a brief letter of interest (100-250 words)
  • In the letter, identify any prior moot court, debate or law competitions experience (no previous experience is required; this info is for planning purposes)
  • Submit a short legal writing sample no more than 7 pages in length (e.g., argument section of a brief or motion memorandum)
  • A two to three-minute video of the student’s oral argument based on one or more of the issues in the writing sample submitted.  A video recorded on your phone is acceptable.

2023-24 YEAR INFORMATION

MHSL TEAM MEMBERS

Carissa Hansen — 2L/BAM

Isaac Manchego — 2L/BAM

Jared Munster — 3L/BL

Braxton Thomas — 2l/BAM

McGee Moot Court Problem

  • TBA

2023–24 Final Rules

  • TBA

2023–24 Key Dates  -TBA

October 24,2023  | Registration opens

October 30, 2023 | Registration closes*, application and fees due (Competition is limited to 24 teams and registration may close earlier if capacity is reached)

October 31, 2023 | Problem posted to website and emailed to registered teams

January 2024 | Briefs are due

Competition Dates & Times

All times are Central Standard Time (CST).

Preliminary Round 1
  • Wednesday, March 6, 2024 @ 3:00PM
Preliminary Round 2
  • Thursday, March 7, 2024 @ 3:00PM
Quarterfinal
  • Friday, March 8, 2024 @ 3:00PM
Semifinal
  • Saturday, March 9, 2024 @ 11:00AM
Championship
  • Saturday, March 9, 2024 @ 3:00PM

Competition for 2023–24

  • Virtual format only

Technology at Mitchell Hamline

Mitchell Hamline School of Law has extensive experience with online learning, having launched the first half-online/half in-person blended learning J.D. program at an ABA-approved law school in 2015. Our experience and investment in online-learning infrastructure make us confident this year’s competition will honor the long tradition of the McGee Civil Rights Moot Court Competition.

Mitchell Hamline staff, faculty train law professors worldwide on online learningMitchell Hamline staff conduct a webinar on online learning, March 13, 2020
As law schools have moved classes online to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, many are turning to Mitchell Hamline for help.
March 13, 2020