Harlan Fiske Stone Moot Court: 2013-2014 Stone Moot Court Overview

Dates to Remember:

September 30    Introductory Meeting
October 8    Record Released
October 10    Registration Deadline
October 12    Issue, Client, and Partner Assignments Announced
November 10    Briefs Due
November 19-21 Oral Arguments

Program Overview

Any 2L, 3L, or LLM may participate (unless you competed in the Finals of a previous Stone)
Although you will have a partner, you are scored separately—you advance to the next round based on your scores as an individual, not as a team.
Each team will participate in two oral arguments during the Qualifying Round (Nov. 19-21). You will submit one brief containing the argument sections for both of your issues.
The argument section of your brief for your issue may be up to twenty pages (minor writing credit is available). Each participant will have twenty minutes for oral arguments. The petitioner may reserve up to five minutes for rebuttal.
You will be scored on both your brief and oral arguments. That is, each of your judges will assign you a score for your brief and for your oral argument.
The ten participants who have the highest scores on Issue One will advance to the Elimination Round; the tem participants who have the highest scores on Issue Two will also advance to the Elimination Round.
The Qualifying and Semifinal Round arguments will take place before a panel of three judges (alumni); the Final Round argument will take place before Justice Kagan and two other federal judges.

How to Register

Send an email to clsstonemootcourt@gmail.com by Oct. 10 at 11:59pm.
If two people would like to partner together, you should both send emails indicating that you would like to partner with each other.
By Oct. 12, you will receive partner and issue assignments.
Carefully read the Rules of Competition and be sure to email if you have any questions or concerns.

Important Addresses

Check the Moot Court blog for the record, the Rules of Competition, and other important announcements. http://clsstonemootcourt.blogspot.com/
Send questions or comments to clsstonemootcourt@gmail.com

Elimination and Final Rounds

Elimination Rounds: February 2014
Final Round: April 2014

About the Competition

The Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison Moot Court Program

About the Harlan Fiske Stone Moot Court Final Arguments

The Harlan Fiske Stone Moot Court final arguments, part of the Paul Weiss Moot Court Program, are the culmination of a three-round elimination competition in appellate advocacy.

This year, 56 students entered the competition. In the qualifying round, held during the fall semester, students briefed one of two issues on behalf of either the appellant or the United States, and presented their positions in oral arguments before panels composed of alumni practitioners and professors.

On the strength of their brief and oral argument scores, 20 competitors advanced to the spring semifinal rounds. There, they again briefed and argued a side of the same case. On April 7, the four students with the highest scores in the spring competition present their final arguments to our distinguished panel of judges, who will award the Lawrence S. Greenbaum Prize for the best oral presentation in the final round. Professor Philip Genty and Steven Zundell ’14, director of this year’s Harlan Fiske Stone competition will recognize the best final round brief.

This year marks the 89th anniversary of the Stone Moot Court, which was founded at Columbia Law School in 1925 by the Story Inn—a chapter of the legal fraternity Phi Delta Phi. The competition is named in honor of Harlan Fiske Stone (1872–1946), who was a member of the Story Inn while a student at the Law School.

Stone was named dean of Columbia Law School in 1910. He served in that capacity until 1924, when President Calvin Coolidge appointed him attorney general of the United States. He was named to the U.S. Supreme Court the following year and was elevated to chief justice in 1941.

This program is made possible by the generous support of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.

Materials

2013-2014 Stone Moot Court Overview