THIS INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE BUT IS AS CURRENT AS OF June 30, 2023. Tournaments in BLUE have been updated.
SUMMIT CUP: Hosted by the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado. This competition is an invitation only competition to schools that won competitions the year before. A “Golden Ticket” is sent to the 12 teams invited to participate (including chocolate!). The entry fee is to be determined.
FORMAT: There are four (“tournament”) rounds, plus a Championship round. To help reduce travel costs, teams may be comprised of 2, 3, or 4 students (your choice). Each team is guaranteed to go twice on each side. Trophies are awarded to the Top-4 teams, as well as to the Most Professional Team and four individual advocate awards. All rounds are power-matched, and Round 1 opponents are determined via a challenge ceremony. All witnesses are “Assigned Woodshed Witnesses” — i.e. Denver law students are assigned in pairs to a particular team to serve as that team’s witnesses throughout the three-day event. An aspect that makes the Summit Cup special is it use of lay persons as jurors, to help emulate a real-life jury panel. Summit also employs “advocacy scoring” to also help emulate a real-life juror’s impressions. The competition runs Thursday through Saturday night, when it ends with a festive gathering. For 2021 there will be half of the schools competing in person and half online. The final will be a hybrid with some jurors in person and others online.
DATE: September 28-September 30, 2023. This competition will be in-person.
APPLICATIONS: Invitations to qualifying schools will be sent by May 1, 2023.
CONTACT: David Schott, Director, the Center for Advocacy
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BATTLE of the EXPERTS: Hosted by Drexel University’s Kline School of Law this competition began in 2018. Sixteen law schools from across the country compete. The uniqueness of this competition is that coaches will serve as bench judges and the scoring ballot requires judges to allocate points between advocates instead of scoring each advocate separately. Also a expert examination will be required in each trial. The rounds will be judged by some of the top trial attorneys and litigators in the Philadelphia area. Trial team coaches preside over the rounds to ensure fairness but they do not score the rounds. The 2021 problem will be criminal. For 2022 all teams are guaranteed four preliminary rounds.
FORMAT: All rounds will be jury trials. There will be four preliminary rounds. Each coach will bench two preliminary rounds and be allowed to watch his/her team for two preliminary rounds. Two of the four witnesses will always be experts. Schools must provide a team of four. All advocates in each trial must either direct or cross an expert witness. After four rounds the top four teams will advance to the semi-finals.
DATE: September 22-24, 2023. This competition will be in person.
APPLICATIONS: Interested schools should contact Drexel. 2023 was Invitational only. For 2022 the Entry Fee was $600.
CONTACT: Gwen Stern or Phil Pasquarello at Drexel University Kline Institute of Trial Advocacy.
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Puerto Rico Trial Advocacy Competition: A competition in Puerto Rico sponsored by InterAmerican Puerto Rico Law School. This is a fun competition with three preliminary rounds and lots of individual awards. This competition is moving back into the fall for 2023.
DATE: November 2-4, 2023.
APPLICATIONS: TBD
CONTACT: Carlos Concepcion Castro
ALL STAR BRACKET CHALLENGE NATIONAL TRIAL COMPETITION: In its third year this is a tiered competition with regional rounds and then final rounds. 2022 will be unique in that the regional rounds will be online in early October and the top two teams from each region will compete in person in November. This year’s competition while still large at 32 teams will be half the size of its predecessors. This competition will be on hiatus for 2023. It may return for 2024. Stay tuned.
FORMAT: Each team is guaranteed four preliminary rounds, two on each side of the case. The preliminary rounds will be online. The format for the in person national finals is to be determined.
DATE: Preliminary Online Rounds October 7-9. Final Rounds at Stetson University will be November 11-13
APPLICATIONS: Due June 1, 2022. Fee $600
CONTACT: You can apply here.
MLK CIVIL RIGHTS COMPETITION: UC Davis hosts this competition. 2018 was the inaugural competition. 12-14 teams from across the country will compete. The case file will deal with a civil rights issue. The 2022 competition will be in person.
FORMAT: There will be three preliminary rounds, then cut to semi-finals. It is a three day competition. The first round will be selected based on a challenge ceremony. Teams will be power-matched for the next two rounds. Teams will have to choose their two witnesses from a pool of three potential witnesses giving each trial its own unique feel.
DATE: October 13-15, 2023.
APPLICATIONS: Applications are open until mid-June. Entry fee was $600 in 2022.
CONTACT: Davis Trial Practice Honors Board. Instagram for Competition. You can APPLY HERE.
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National Pretrial Competition: Hosted by Stetson University in St. Petersburg, Florida. This competition is an open competition that usually has 16 teams competing. This competition is unique in that it has a major writing component along with the trial skills of examining witnesses and arguing a motion.
FORMAT: There are three preliminary rounds and then there is a cut to quarterfinals. The competition runs Thursday through Sunday. Teams will write two memorandums and then argue them as well as direct and cross examine witnesses in support of their motions.
DATE: October 12-15, 2023.
APPLICATIONS: Applications will be open through mid-July.
CONTACT: stetson.edu/law/pretrial or nptc@law.stetson.edu or APPLY HERE
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SYRACUSE Trial Competition: 2023 is the fifth year for this national competition. 12 teams will be invited to compete based on the quality of their advocacy program and geographic diversity. For 2020 and 2021 the competition was online. In 2022, the competition hopes to return to in person. Definitely in person for 2023.
FORMAT: Each team will be guaranteed four rounds before cutting to semi-finals. Each team must be accompanied by a non-student coach with a J.D. degree. The coach must be present for the entire competition.
DATE: October 20-22, 2023.
APPLICATIONS: Applications for 2022 are open until June 1, 2022. Selected teams will be notified by June 8, 2022. The entry fee $600. More information is available here.
CONTACT: Joanne Van Dyke or Todd Berger, Director Advocacy Program Syracuse
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Lone Star Classic: St. Mary’s School of Law’s Board of Advocates hosts the Lone Star Classic, an annual invitational mock trial tournament open to ABA – accredited law schools nationwide, every fall semester. Because of COVID-19 the 2020 Classic will not be held. In its place will be the ALL STAR CLASSIC (See below for more information on that competition).
FORMAT: Historically a three round cut to four competition, in 2018 the format changes under new leadership. Now all teams are guaranteed four rounds. Round three is power-matched and round four is a “blind” quarter-final where the top-8 teams are paired off against each other 1 v. 8, 2 v. 7, etc while the remaining teams are paired off with teams they are adjacent to in the standings, 9 v. 10, 11 v. 12, etc… First four rounds are Thursday and Friday. Semi-finals and finals on Saturday.
DATE: CANCELLED for 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Hoping it returns in 2024 or it is retired.
APPLICATIONS: Applications to compete will be sent out late April with team selections in May. $650 entry fee.
CONTACT: A.J. Bellido de Luna
https://law.stmarytx.edu/campus-life/events/lone-star-classic/
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CACJ National Trial Competition: It’s back! This competition is run by the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice. The preliminary rounds will be at the Federal District Courthouse and the final round at UC Hastings School of Law. The competition will take place in San Francisco, California. For more information go to https://cacj.org/event/NCTAC2022
DATE: October 13-16, 2022.
APPLICATIONS: Registration opens May 6, 2022 and closes June 14, 2022. The entry fee of $525 is due at registration.
CONTACT: California Attorneys for Criminal Justice or mocktrial@cacj.org
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Michigan NTAC: This competition is run by the Michigan Young Lawyers — formally run by Michigan State. 12 to 16 teams from across the country participate. While there are northern teams that participate this competition has historically been won by southern teams. The competition takes place in East Lansing. This competition was held in Spring 2022 with only 5 teams. This competition is back to normal fall operations in 2022
FORMAT: There are three preliminary rounds then cut to semi-finals. Teams can have four advocates or allow advocates to swing and advocate two sides.
DATE: October 20-22, 2023.
APPLICATIONS: Applications open until August. Entry Fee in 2022 was $600.
CONTACT: Email or Michigan Bar Young Lawyers Section
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St. John’s Civil Rights Competition: St. John’s hosts this competition in which 16 teams from across the country compete.
FORMAT: This is a four day competition with the first round on Thursday night, the second round on Friday night. Only two preliminary rounds before the field is cut in half. Quarter-finals and semi-finals on Saturday and the final round on Sunday morning.
DATE: October 26-29, 2023.
APPLICATIONS: You can Apply HERE. Applications taken until mid-July, 2023.
CONTACT: Here or St. John’s
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Quinnipiac Criminal Justice Competition: Hosted by Quinnipiac School of Law in Connecticut, this annual competition has 10-16 teams competing. Some years Quinnipiac is one of the teams. While cancelled for 2020 it is back and better than ever in 2021. For the 21st Annual Competition each team gets 4 one-year licenses to TIMELAW (an interactive timeline builder). The competition will be online for 2021.
FORMAT: Three rounds are guaranteed, then cut to semi-finals.
DATE: October 27-29, 2023.
APPLICATIONS: Applications are open from mid-May until June 17, 2022. There is a $750 entry fee.
CONTACT: Apply here: Prof. Ryan McGuinness and Prof. Ryan O’Neill or HERE
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Queen’s County District Attorney: Run by the Queens County District Attorney’s Office this competition is primarily a New York / Northeastern competition. The trials are benched by actual judges and the jurors are police officers and recruits from the NYPD. 16 teams participate.
FORMAT: There are two preliminary rounds then cut to semi-finals. It is a two day competition. There is a reception on Saturday night after the preliminary rounds.
DATE: The competition is generally late October. October 19-20, 2019. Fact pattern is released in mid-September. Cancelled for 2020. 2022 returned to the spring.
APPLICATIONS: Applications come out in early May and are due by June 1. Teams are selected in early June. There is a $400 entry fee.
CONTACT: James Quinn, Senior Executive Assistant District Attorney, Trial Division.
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NATIONAL CIVIL TRIAL COMPETITION (NCTC): Hosted by Loyola Los Angeles and sponsored by the law firm of Greene Broillet & Wheeler, this competition pits 16 teams from all across the country in what is traditionally a very strong field.
FORMAT: There are four preliminary rounds. The first two are randomly paired. The third and fourth rounds are power-matched. After four rounds there is a cut to semi-finals. Teams are not permitted to use technology for the preliminary rounds but are permitted to use a document cam and power point in the advance rounds.
DATE: Traditionally this competition is held in November. This year it will be November 3-6, 2022. The competition will be in person
APPLICATIONS: Applications are open until June 8, 2022. Teams are selected in early June.
CONTACT: Susan Poehls or NCTC
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San Diego Defense Lawyers: A two-day competition that is looking to grow. Normally it has 16 teams competing but for 2018 hopes to have 20-22 teams in the field. Schools may enter one or two teams. The problem will always be civil.
FORMAT: There are two preliminary rounds, one on Thursday night and one on Friday night, then it cuts to semi-finals on Saturday.
DATE: October 11-13, 2018. 2020 TBD
APPLICATIONS: Registration opens May 1 and closes August 10, 2018. Entry fees are $450 per team ($900 for two teams).
CONTACT: San Diego Defense Lawyers
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IN VINO VERITAS: Golden Gate in San Francisco hosts this competition. The “courtrooms” are all named after wines and the final round is held in wine country with the non-finalists teams taking a wine tour during the final round. 16-20 teams from across the country are invited to compete. For fall 2022 the competition will go on hiatus for a year because Golden Gate is hosting NTC in the spring 2023.
FORMAT: There are two preliminary rounds then cut to quarter-finals. It is a single elimination tournament from that point forward.
DATE: The competition is usually in mid to late October. October 22-24, 2021. This competition will be online. CANCELLED for 2022.
APPLICATIONS: Applications are open until June 1. Teams are selected in mid-June. Registration fee will be $500.
CONTACT: In Vino Veritas or Baxter Fellow.
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Florida National Trial Advocacy Tournament: The University of Florida hosts this competition. All rounds are on the Florida Law campus. The case is usually a criminal trial.
FORMAT: There are two preliminary rounds then cut to quarter-finals. Single elimination from that point forward.
DATE: November 3-5, 2018. 2020 CANCELLED Held in Spring 2022.
APPLICATIONS: Applications are open during the summer and are due by August 10. Selected teams are notified by August 17. The entry fee has been $350.
CONTACT: University of Florida
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TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS: Today, the tournament is one of the premier law school trial competitions in the nation and is known for having the highest quality of congeniality and good sportsmanship. Each year, 16 schools are invited. The invitations are based on a three-year performance record at the National trial Competition and the AAJ National Student Trial Advocacy Competition. The school that wins the competition hosts the competition two years later. For more information go to here.
FORMAT: There are four preliminary rounds and then a cut to semi-finals. The first three rounds are randomly paired with no team facing the same team twice. The fourth round is power-matched.
DATE: 2023 Houston is the designated host. October 26-29, 2023.
APPLICATIONS: This is a closed tournament. Invitations are sent to school’s earning a spot based on how many points they accumulate from success in NTC and AAJ and based relatively on how others in the Federal Circuit fared. There are five at-large bids given plus the eleven highest scoring teams from each Federal Circuit. Teams are notified in May of their eligibility. You can check standings here.
CONTACT: NBTA
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KELLY TRIAL COMPETITION: Hosted by Fordham School of Law the Kelly Competition is unique in that each team consists of only two advocates who must advocate on both sides of the case. Fordham provides the witnesses for the competition. Teams are given 15 minutes before each round to woodshed the witnesses. 16-20 teams from across the country participate.
FORMAT: This is a two day competition. There are only two preliminary rounds before it cuts to semi-finals. Teams are randomly paired for both rounds. There is a reception after the preliminary rounds on Saturday where the advancing teams and individual awards are announced.
DATE: This competition is usually the first or second weekend in November. November 10-12, 2023. The 2020-2021 competition was online. Back in person for 2023!
APPLICATIONS: Applications are available in mid-June and due by mid-July. The entry fee is $800.
CONTACT: Kelly Competition
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Georgetown Federal White Collar: As a student run competition at Georgetown Law, this competition has 16-20 teams from all over the country competing.
FORMAT: There are three preliminary rounds then cut to semi-finals. For 2021 the competition will be online. Back in person for 2023!
DATE: The competition is usually in late October or early November. This year it is ….
APPLICATIONS: Usually mid to late summer applications are accepted up to mid-August. It is an invitational tournament so all that apply will not be accepted. $600 entry fee.
CONTACT: whitecollargeorgetown
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BUFFALO TRIAL COMPETITION: This annual competition has been going strong for almost two decades now. Reports of its death were premature. It is back and better than ever.
FORMAT: Back in person for 2022. 24 teams will be selected. There will be three preliminary rounds then cut to quarterfinals. 30 teams selected for 2023!
DATE: October 13-15, 2023.
APPLICATIONS: Applications are due by June 3, 2022. You can apply here.
CONTACT: Jennifer Scharf
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Hofstra Medical Legal: This competition is unique in that each team will be assigned a medical student as a medical expert for a medical malpractice trial. The fact pattern will not be a limitation for cross of the experts since the experts will be actual medical students.
FORMAT: There will be at least three preliminary rounds and cut to semi-finals. There will be a banquet after the three preliminary rounds and individual awards will be given out. Teams will be assigned their medical expert in advance of the competition and can work with their expert via Skype/video-conference/phone or email. The competition has grown to 20 teams for 2023.
DATE: October 6-8, 2023.
APPLICATIONS: Application are available in May. The entry fee is TBD. You can apply here.
CONTACT: Jared Rosenblatt
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William Daniel: Hosted by the Georgia Young Lawyers Division but essentially run by Georgia State in Atlanta, Georgia. The competition has 16 teams from all over the country, but all Georgia law schools are automatically included so competition for non-Georgia schools is fierce.
FORMAT: There are three preliminary rounds with the third round being power matched. The tournament runs from Friday night through Sunday afternoon. The competition is scored based on the South Texas model of simply ranking the advocates 1-4. There is no scoring for individual skills.
DATE: November 17-19, 2023. THIS COMPETITION WILL BE IN PERSON!
APPLICATIONS: Applications due Mid-June 2023. Entry Fee was $500 in 2022.
CONTACT: Paige Boorman or Matt Jones
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The Verdict: Hosted by UCLA School of Law. This is a true jury trial competition: results will be based on lay juror verdicts on the merits.
FORMAT: The eight teams will have four preliminary trials. The top-two team face in the championship trial. The 2021 tournament will be on Zoom, and future events will be in person.
DATE: Back for 2023!
APPLICATIONS: Invitations only competition.
CONTACT: Justin Bernstein
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Case Classic Mock Trial Competition: Hosted by Case Western University.
FORMAT: The Case Classic is a three-day tournament that takes place at the Cuyahoga County Justice Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Each team will get four rounds. Then the top four teams will compete in the semi-finals.
DATE: November 10-12, 2023
APPLICATIONS: Open until August.
CONTACT: Lauren Tuttle