Moot court: a mock court activity where participants research and argue simulated cases in competition.
As a senior, my initial reason for jumping into moot court during my last year of undergrad really was to have something to put on my resume for law school. Was I really excited about doing it at first? Not really, but as we've progressed through practice and the regional competition, I have found moot court to be incredibly fun. It not only felt exhilarating to stand up in front of a panel of judges and give an argument, but through the competition, I learned many valuable lessons that can be carried out into the real world. Here are just a few!
1. Speak with confidence (even if you don't have any).
I have literally no self-confidence whatsoever, but despite this, I still manage to speak with so much confidence, thus "faking it till I make it" and coming off as a confident and self-assured person. You see, when you speak with confidence, people are more likely to believe and listen to what you have to say.
2. Opinions vary.
When you receive your ballot (score sheet) from the competition, you'll see that different judges score you differently: you may win on one judge's score sheet and lose tons of points on another's. This rings true in "the real world" as well: different people are going to have different opinions about you and the way you speak, act, think, and so forth. The solution? You can't let the opinions of others dictate your confidence: learn from what others have to say, but don't let it control you.
3. Facts > feelings.
"As cited on page five of the record" has much more of an effect than "I feel as though..." Similarly, "Research/evidence/facts show that..." is much more valid than "My emotions/feelings are _." As brutal as it sounds, your feelings really don't matter – people want the facts.
4. You won't always have an answer.
Sometimes, there is no perfect answer, and quite often, you won't even have an answer. When in these difficult situations, you can only state what you do know. And sometimes you just have to confess that you don't have an answer at the time – it is much better to give only what you have knowledge on rather than to fabricate a false claim.
5. Each side has a story.
Petitioner or respondent, side A or side B, both sides to every issue have a story, a reason, and a cause: this is why we should always be open to hearing both sides of every story instead of only listening to one viewpoint.
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