Competitions   

Seton Hall sponsors many legal competitions on mock trial, appellate advocacy, client counseling, negotiation, and international law. Participation in these competitions is an excellent way for students to develop their legal skills and learn how law is practiced. Below you will find a brief description and contact information for each competition.

Intra-school Competitions

Ronald J. Riccio First Year Moot Court Competition
The Ronald J. Riccio First Year Moot Court Competition is an intra-school competition open to all first year day and evening students. Held during the spring semester, students are given a fact pattern along with applicable case law. They must then make a series of simulated oral arguments in front of a panel of student judges. Competitors who advance to the quarterfinal rounds will be invited to join the interscholastic moot court board.
Eligibility: Open to all 1Ls in good standing (day and evening)
Contact: Professor Jodi Hudson, hudsonjo@shu.edu

Eugene Gressman Moot Court Competition
The Gressman Competition is an intra-school appellate advocacy competition offered each spring. Second and third year students participate in teams of two. Each participant receives one credit. To earn the credit, the team must write a brief and argue one compulsory round. After the compulsory round, the top 32 teams compete in single elimination rounds until one team wins. The final argument is judged by members of the judiciary. United States Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Sandra Day O'Connor, U.S. Third Circuit Judges Maryanne Trump Barry and Michael Chagares, and New Jersey Supreme Court Justices Helen Hoens, Deborah Poritz, and Barry Albin are just a few of the many distinguished jurists who have judged the final night. Awards for the competition are given to the Finalists, Semi-Finalists, Best Brief Authors, and Best Oral Advocate.
Eligibility: Open to all 2Ls and 3Ls in good standing who have completed Appellate Advocacy or who are enrolled in the course during the semester of participation.
Enrollment: Participants enroll in the course as part of the standard registration process for spring courses. As part of the course, students will receive details on all competition deadlines.
Contact: Professor Carmen Barbazan, barbazca@shu.ed

Client Counseling Competition
The intra-school client counseling competition takes place during the fall semester. Teams of students, acting as attorneys, conduct an interview with a person playing the role of the client and then explain how they would proceed further in the hypothetical situation. The purpose of the competition is to promote greater knowledge and interest among law students in the preventative and counseling functions of law practice and to encourage students to develop interviewing, planning and analytical skills in the lawyer-client relationship through an enjoyable and positive process. The winning participants earn the right to compete in the ABA regional competition the following semester.
Eligibility: Open to all law students in good standing who have completed at least one semester of law school.
Enrollment: Dates for the competition, along with sign-up procedures, will be advertised via e-mail in September/October.
Contact: Professor Kevin Kelly, kellykev@shu.edu

Negotiation Competition
The intra-school negotiation competition is held in the spring semester. Teams of students engage in simulated legal negotiations. This competition is designed to teach critical negotiation skills, emphasizing the importance of negotiation in resolving disputes and facilitating client transactions. The winning participants earn the right to compete in the ABA regional competition the following semester.
Eligibility: Open to all law students in good standing who have completed at least one semester of law school.
Enrollment: Dates for the competition, along with sign-up procedures, will be advertised via e-mail in January/February.
Contact: Professor Kevin Kelly, kellykev@shu.edu

Mock Trial Competition
Seton Hall sponsors a team to participate in national mock trial competitions. The mock trial program seeks to train students in preparing for and conducting a trial, including opening statements, direct and cross examination, and closing arguments. As part of the selection process for the team, students will participate in a Closing Argument Competition in the fall semester. In the spring, students will participate in the regional rounds of a national trial competition.
Eligibility: Open to upperclass law students who have taken, or are currently enrolled in, Persuasion and Advocacy, the required skills course.
Contact: Professor Maya Grosz, maya.grosz@shu.edu

Interscholastic Competitions

Interscholastic Moot Court Competitions
The Interscholastic Moot Court Board at Seton Hall School of Law is an organization dedicated to competing in Appellate Moot Court competitions throughout the country. Comprised of approximately thirty students, Board members engage in competitions ranging from criminal law to family law, internet law to constitutional law, and entertainment law to civil rights law. Each Board member competes in one competition per year, with a few students competing in one each semester depending on their success. The Board is an excellent way to improve both writing and oral advocacy skills.
Students interested in the Interscholastic Moot Court Board can obtain membership in several ways. First, students finishing as Semifinalists and Finalists in the Gressman Moot Court Competition may be invited to join the traveling Board. Students competing in the Ronald J. Riccio First-Year Moot Court Competition and finishing as Quarterfinalists or better may also be invited to join the Board.
Eligibility: Open to all law students in good standing who have completed at least one semester of law school.
Contact: Professor Jodi Hudson, hudsonjo@shu.edu

Jessup International Moot Court Competition
The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition is the world's largest moot court competition, with participants from over 500 law schools in more than 80 countries. The competition is a simulation of a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations. Each team prepares oral and written pleadings arguing both the applicant and respondent positions of the case.
Enrollment: Participation in the Jessup competition is coordinated by the Seton Hall Law School International Law Society.
Contact: Professor Kristen Boon, kristen.boon@shu.edu

ABA Client Counseling Competition
The winning team in the intra-school client counseling competition earns the right to represent Seton Hall Law School in the regional ABA Client Counseling Competition, held during the spring semester.

ABA Negotiation Competition
The winning team in the intra-school negotiation competition earns the right to represent Seton Hall Law School in the regional ABA Negotiation Competition, held during the fall semester following the intra-school competition. In November 2007, a team from Seton Hall Law captured first place at the regional competition and went on to compete in the national competition in Los Angeles, CA.

Mock Trial Competitions
The intra-school mock trial competition will be used to select a mock trial team to participate in regional and national interscholastic mock trial competitions.