The 2026 John Black Moot Court Competition will be held in person on March 27th & March 28th.
DATES FOR THE 2025 JOHN BLACK MOOT COURT COMPETITION:
Lunch & Learn: Thursday, February 26th in Room 210 | Zoom Recording | Password : MOOT
Skills Workshop: March 11th
Special Presentation by Professor Simpson on Saturday, February 28th at 10:00* AM:
Registration Begins: TBA
Registration Ends: TBA
Problem Released: TBA
Competition Begins: March 27th – March 28th
Writing Component for Course Credit Due Date: TBA
WITNESS AND PARTNER SEARCH
If you are looking for a partner or witnesses, put your information on this spreadsheet.
HOW TO SIGN UP
Step 1
Pay for your team on PayPal and make sure to save your confirmation number. There are 3 options: (1) $20 if both team members are also Advocates members, (2) $100 if both team members are non-Advocates members, or (3) $60 for half and half.
**Please note in the payment for the names of each teammate and “John Black Moot Court”***
Step 2
Fill out this Google Form.
ABOUT THE COMPETITION
The John Black Moot Court Competition is open only to 1L students at the University of Houston Law Center. The competition is “closed research,” meaning that the Advocates will provide a pool of eligible cases and materials, and competitors are not allowed to cite other materials in their arguments. Teams will prepare and present oral arguments for both sides of the case.
A Competition Team consists of two UHLC 1L students, both serving as attorneys, and both attorneys must present in each round. Competition rounds are judged by members of the Houston legal community who often offer feedback to the teams after the round is over. Teams are scored on the substantive content of their arguments, knowledge of the record, extemporaneous ability, and courtroom demeanor.
APPELLATE ORAL ARGUMENT DISCUSSION
To get all participants prepared for the competition, Professor Simpson will host a discussion on Saturday, Feb. 28th from 10:00 AM to 12 PM in Room 210. The discussion is aimed at familiarizing participants with oral arguments in appellate courts. It is recommended you attend this session so that you are best prepared for the competition. For those of you who plan to attend the session, download the below documents before the discussion as they will be used during the discussion.
COURSE CREDIT & PRIZES
UHLC students can earn 1 hour of non-substantive competition credit by (1) making a good-faith effort in the Competition and (2) completing and timely submitting the writing assignment for the Competition that is described in the Competition Rules. Click here to complete a Competition Credit Petition.
For more information or questions, email Insha Mitha, Director of the John Black Moot Court Competition.