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Simon Earle, 2L, and Dominik Ruch, 2L, argued before Justice G. Barry Anderson '79, Justice Natalie Hudson '82, and Justice Gordon Moore of the Minnesota Supreme Court, in the final round of the Maynard Pirsig Moot Court Honors Tournament. Simon Earle, won a closely contested argument, with both students receiving tremendous praise for their skills. Earle called the tournament “an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience.” Ruch had a similar reaction, calling it “[the] coolest thing I could have imagined for my time in law school.”

MinnesotaLaw's Law in Practice Program, which provides 1Ls with the opportunity to develop real-world practice skills, was recently recognized by Bloomberg Law as a national leader in innovation in the field of experiential education.

2L Jack Tate, who is now an LiP student instructor, says participating in the program during his first year of law school was a huge confidence boost.

The exceptional performance of multiple Minnesota Law moot court competition teams led to an unprecedented year at the University of Minnesota Law School.

“The Law School’s strategic investment in moot courts, combined with the hard work and dedication of students and their coaches, paid off in so many ways,” says Randall Ryder '09, assistant professor of appellate advocacy and director of Law in Practice. “Our moot court students develop advanced advocacy skills that allow them to excel as new lawyers and throughout their legal careers.”

Two teams of Minnesota Law students performed exceptionally well at the 2021-22 Thurgood Marshall Memorial Moot Court Competition. Both teams advanced to the quarterfinal rounds and one team won the national competition for the first time in University of Minnesota Law School history (view the video of the final round).

Two teams of Law School students had an impressive showing at the 2021-2022 National Energy and Sustainability Moot Court Competition. Both teams advanced to the quarterfinals and one of the Law School’s teams advanced to the final argument. 

The inaugural Joseph P. and Carol Z. Sullivan Health Law Moot Court Team had a strong showing at the National Health Law Competition, held on March 25, 2022. The team placed 4th overall, a fantastic result for the first year of the team.

The team was composed of three students with significant interest and/or background in health law. 

A team of Minnesota Law students performed well at the 2021-22 Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Moot Court Competition. The team competed in the Northeast Regional on March 11-13, 2022. The team of Minnesota Law students won best brief for the Northeast Region. The team also advanced to the regional quarterfinals for the first time since 2018. 

The ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC) is one of the largest, and most challenging, moot court competitions in the country. Two teams from the Law School competed in the Boston Regional in February. Both teams performed admirably and one team progressed to the quarterfinal round at the regional competition. That is the first advancement for the Law School since 2018. 

The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition is the world’s largest moot court competition. Due to their strong performance, the Law School’s team moved on to the advanced rounds for the first time since 2018. The team had a stellar 4th place ranking for their briefs. As a result of the opposing team’s chosen side, 3Ls Sarani Millican and Laura Burns argued at the advanced rounds. 

Two teams of Law School students performed exceptionally well at the 2022-23 William E. McGee Civil Rights Moot Court Competition for the second consecutive year. One team advanced to the quarterfinals, one team won best brief, and an individual student won best oralist in the through the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.