Moot Court: Client Counseling School Competition

Limit: 18 students

Client Counseling is designed to assist students in perfecting interviewing, counseling and communication skills necessary in the practice of law. Although a Moot Court program, the class is useful for any student wanting to learn about and practice client interviewing techniques.

In preparation for a school competition, students attend a weekly one-hour class which includes practice sessions. This class is a combination of class discussions, pertinent readings, "hands on" practice, and evaluation. The subject for the competition, determined in advance by the American Bar Association, is of current legal interest. Students are critiqued by local attorneys and counseling professionals.

The school competition is tentatively scheduled for November 17, 2007. After that competition, one or two teams are chosen to represent the school at the regional competition in mid-February 2008 in Victoria, British Columbia.

Note: In order to receive credit, students MUST participate in the school competition. If students expect conflicts, they should not register for this moot court.

Practice and competition interviews are done in teams of two. Teams are selected at the beginning of the term, with students choosing their partners. Teams remain the same throughout the semester and school competition.

Because interviews are done in teams, only an even number of students may participate in the class. Enrollment is even number only to a maximum of 18.

Skills†: interviewing and counseling

Regional Competition

The Client Counseling Competition is held in the Spring term of every year. Topics are chosen annually by the ABA and all participating schools, from the United States and Canada, use the same topic. Topics generally involve civil law issues. Students, in preparation for the actual regional competition, will participate in numerous practice rounds to hone their client interviewing and counseling skills. The course gives students an opportunity to develop advanced client counseling and interviewing skills.

Prerequisites for selection to the regional team are participation in the previous Fall term Client Counseling Competition and recommendation by the professor teaching the class. Only one or two of the top teams from the Fall competition advances to the regional competition. The one team winning the regional competition advances to the national competition in early March. The winner of that competition advances to the international competition in late March or early April.

Skills†: interviewing and counseling
†Students may not earn more than four (4) credit hours in any one skill area