The LEAP Center’s two moot court teams traveled to Fort Worth to compete in the American Moot Court Association’s (AMCA) South Texas Regional Tournament, hosted by Texas A&M University School of Law. But before turning their attention to legal arguments and courtroom advocacy, the students began the day with a little civic engagement.
Students accompanied Katie Wilson, who hails from the Fort Worth area, to a Tarrant County polling site so Katie could fulfill her civic duty. With voting out of the way, the group headed to Hogan Alley for coffee before settling into the business of the day. The students then turned to last-minute preparation, with each finding a different way to manage the inevitable pre-tournament stress.
The teams also enjoyed a visit from family. Professor Mike Yawn had the opportunity to meet Katie Wilson’s parents, while Katie’s and Ryan’s families stopped by to offer encouragement. Both families stayed to watch some of the afternoon’s competition, providing a welcome reminder of the support behind the students.
LEAP fielded two teams: Katie and Allie, and Ryan and Victoria. After checking in between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., the competitors attended an orientation at 1:30, where AMCA and Texas A&M Law officials welcomed participants and (very briefly) reviewed tournament procedures.
The competition began at 2:15 p.m., with three preliminary rounds scheduled throughout the afternoon. Round Two began at 3:30, followed by the final round of the day at 4:45.
Each round featured three judges, who evaluated individual speakers in four categories: (1) knowledge of the case, (2) responses to questions, (3) forensic skill and demeanor, and (4) logic and clarity of argument. These individual scores would ultimately help determine the tournament’s top speakers.
Team success, however, depended on a separate ballot system. Each judge awarded a ballot to the team whose combined performance was stronger. With three judges per round, each team could win anywhere from zero to three ballots. Those victories would determine which teams advanced to Saturday’s Sweet Sixteen and the subsequent rounds.
By the end of Friday’s competition, both LEAP teams had completed three rounds of oral arguments. The competition was tougher–in fact, it was tougher than the scrimmage. Part of this was that many talented teams signed up for this Tournament, and part of it was the luck of the draw. Allie and Katie, for example, were randomly assigned to compete against two of the top three teams in the tournament.
All this made for stormy weather when it came to results, which were not released until all rounds concluded, with attorneys Lewis Ringel and Martin Beeson (both are also AMCA Board Members) handling the announcements. While the teams’ won-loss record was not impressed, we were very pleased to learn that Katie Wilson won a top Orator award!
Overall, it was a disappointing day in terms of results, but a productive day in terms of experiential learning. Students performed their civic duty, competed with top talent from universities across the country, explored TAMU Law’s buildings and programs, and enjoyed seeing a Bearkat win an award!
