The major moot court activity at Stanford Law School is the Marion Rice Kirkwood Memorial Competition, which takes place each year during Autumn and Winter Terms and gives students the opportunity to brief and argue an actual case before a hypothetical U.S. Supreme Court. This course is designed to facilitate the administration of the Competition and is not intended to be an advanced legal writing class. It does not meet regularly and students are expected to operate independently. Autumn term is dedicated to brief writing and completion of the written portion of the Competition; the oral argument portion of the Competition is conducted during the first four to five weeks of Winter term. Students on externship and in clinics may enroll, if permitted by their respective programs. In Autumn term there are two class meetings--one which provides an overview of the Competition and another which provides an overview of brief writing in the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition, there are individually scheduled conferences. The first draft of the brief is reviewed and extensively critiqued by the course instructors. The course instructors and the Moot Court Board Presidents score the final draft of the brief. In Winter term, there are two class meetings, one which provides guidance on oral advocacy techniques and another which is a lecture by a practitioner involved in that year's case. In addition, there are optional practice arguments with the instructors and Moot Court Board Members, which are recorded and critiqued. Participation in the oral argument competition is mandatory and includes attendance at the semifinal and final arguments. The preliminary and quarterfinal rounds are held in the evening; the semifinal and final rounds are in the late afternoon. Panels of judges and local attorneys serve as judges who score the oral argument portion of the Competition. Registration for the Kirkwood Competition is by team. Each team is required to submit an appellate brief of substantial length and quality and to complete at least two oral arguments, one on each side of that year's case. Teams are selected for the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final round of the Competition based on their brief and oral advocacy scores. The final round of the Competition is held before a panel of distinguished judges, and the entire Law School community is invited to attend. Special Instructions: To maintain academic standards, enrollment in the Kirkwood Competition is limited to LAW 20 two-person teams. This limit will be strictly enforced. Registration forms will be distributed Spring term. If the program is oversubscribed, a lottery will be held to determine participating teams and to establish a waiting list. Priority is given to third-year students; however, several spots are reserved for second-year teams. The final drop deadline for the course will be on Thursday of the first week of classes. Enrollment in both Autumn (2 units) and Winter (1 unit) terms is required. The final grade for both Autumn and Winter terms will be awarded upon the completion of the course requirements. Registration and Consent Instructions: Instructions on how to register for the Moot Court Competition are sent out to students each year in Spring term for the coming academic year. The registration process is separate from the regular class registration process. Early application and drop deadlines.
1 units · Law Mandatory P/R/F
The major moot court activity at Stanford Law School is the Marion Rice Kirkwood Memorial Competition, which takes place each year during Autumn and Winter Terms and gives students the opportunity to brief and argue an actual case before a hypothetical U.S. Supreme Court. This course is designed to facilitate the administration of the Competition and is not intended to be an advanced legal writing class. It does not meet regularly and students are expected to operate independently. Autumn term is dedicated to brief writing and completion of the written portion of the Competition; the oral argument portion of the Competition is conducted during the first four to five weeks of Winter term. Students on externship and in clinics may enroll, if permitted by their respective programs. In Autumn term there are two class meetings--one which provides an overview of the Competition and another which provides an overview of brief writing in the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition, there are individually scheduled conferences. The first draft of the brief is reviewed and extensively critiqued by the course instructors. The course instructors and the Moot Court Board Presidents score the final draft of the brief. In Winter term, there are two class meetings, one which provides guidance on oral advocacy techniques and another which is a lecture by a practitioner involved in that year's case. In addition, there are optional practice arguments with the instructors and Moot Court Board Members, which are recorded and critiqued. Participation in the oral argument competition is mandatory and includes attendance at the semifinal and final arguments. The preliminary and quarterfinal rounds are held in the evening; the semifinal and final rounds are in the late afternoon. Panels of judges and local attorneys serve as judges who score the oral argument portion of the Competition. Registration for the Kirkwood Competition is by team. Each team is required to submit an appellate brief of substantial length and quality and to complete at least two oral arguments, one on each side of that year's case. Teams are selected for the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final round of the Competition based on their brief and oral advocacy scores. The final round of the Competition is held before a panel of distinguished judges, and the entire Law School community is invited to attend. Special Instructions: To maintain academic standards, enrollment in the Kirkwood Competition is limited to 20 two-person teams. This limit will be strictly enforced. Registration forms will be distributed Spring term. If the program is oversubscribed, a lottery will be held to determine participating teams and to establish a waiting list. Priority is given to third-year students; however, several spots are reserved for second-year teams. The final drop deadline for the course will be on Thursday of the first week of classes. Enrollment in both Autumn (2 units) and Winter (1 unit) terms is required. The final grade for both Autumn and Winter terms will be awarded upon the completion of the course requirements. Registration and Consent Instructions: Instructions on how to register for the Moot Court Competition are sent out to students each year in Spring term for the coming academic year. The registration process is separate from the regular class registration process. Early application and drop deadlines.
Offered in Winter 2026 at Stanford University.