Extramural Advocacy

Students may earn academic credit for participation in extramural advocacy competitions. Each competition must consist of a rigorous educational experience under the guidance and support of a qualified coach and/or faculty advisor which places emphasis on the development of professional legal skills. In order to receive academic credit for extramural advocacy competitions, a student must participate in an adequate number of meetings and preparation sessions, and communicate regularly with the team coach and/or faculty advisor.

The coach and/or faculty advisor must provide the competitors with training in the skills that are the subject of the competition, multiple opportunities to practice those skills, and detailed, in-depth feedback.

Such competitions must require that competitors apply and demonstrate specific professional legal skills, such as written and oral advocacy at appellate or trial levels, arbitration, negotiations, or client interviewing and counseling. So much as competition rules permit, students must perform under substantial, continuous supervision and instruction by (1) a full time School of Law faculty member or (2) an adjunct or other individual who has been appointed as the team’s coach, working with a full-time School of Law faculty member.

The faculty members and other instructors shall evaluate the students’ written and oral performances and determine the number of credits each student has earned. Students may earn no more than two (2) hours credit for participation in a single competition and may apply no more than six (6) hours of Extramural Advocacy Competition (934) credit toward the ninety (90) hours necessary for graduation.

Students may receive credit for no more than one extramural advocacy per semester and ordinarily may participate in no more than one per semester. For a student to participate in more than one in the same semester, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, faculty members, and other instructors must first approve. First-year students are ineligible to participate, except to the extent of trying out for a team if the competition will take place during their second year.

Students enrolled in an extramural advocacy competition will be required to keep track of time spent working on the competition.