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Do employers give more credit to people on moot court than to those on mock trial? If so, how much more of an advantage is it to be on moot court rather than mock trial for biglaw hiring purposes?

Neither matters.

Almost every employer at OCI says that they have a preference for people on moot court--I would think being on moot court would be a big boost to your employment prospects.

What's the difference between the two?

GettingReady2010 wrote:What's the difference between the two?

Moot court is like being on law review while mock trial is like being on a crappy secondary journal.

I only know about moot court. It's not a huge deal for jobs, but it's nice. If you happen to do extremely well and/or are the 'captain' of your team, it can be a good conversation starter or point of interest. If you are focusing on a particular area of law and are extremely committed to it, certain moot courts are going to be much more interesting and useful to your education than others. In my mind, that's the only reason to do them. Interest and synergy with the rest of your education.

I would imagine awards for best speaker/best brief would be the best you could come away with. Everyone likes good communicators. But I wouldn't do moot court just for a resume item, it's way too much work.

thuggishruggishbone wrote:

GettingReady2010 wrote:What's the difference between the two?

Moot court is like being on law review while mock trial is like being on a crappy secondary journal.

I see. Do you have to "make" moot court the way you do with law review? I always thought it was kind of like an extracurricular activity that you signed up for. Kind of like a debate team.

If you're looking for clerkships, moot court will be more valuable.

If you're looking to be a trial litigator, especially criminal DA/PD, then mock trial will be more valuable.

Otherwise, it won't matter which, it's just something to add on your resume to show you're trying to gain some form of additional experience.

vanwinkle wrote:If you're looking for clerkships, moot court will be more valuable.

If you're looking to be a trial litigator, especially criminal DA/PD, then mock trial will be more valuable.

Otherwise, it won't matter which, it's just something to add on your resume to show you're trying to gain some form of additional experience.

Do you know this for fact, or are you mainly speculating?

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At our school (lower T1), you're forced to choose between one or the other.

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GettingReady2010 wrote:

vanwinkle wrote:If you're looking for clerkships, moot court will be more valuable.

If you're looking to be a trial litigator, especially criminal DA/PD, then mock trial will be more valuable.

Otherwise, it won't matter which, it's just something to add on your resume to show you're trying to gain some form of additional experience.

Do you know this for fact, or are you mainly speculating?

I have gotten this from discussions in several places about public interest jobs, including with people who have worked at DA/PD offices.

GettingReady2010 wrote:

vanwinkle wrote:If you're looking for clerkships, moot court will be more valuable.

If you're looking to be a trial litigator, especially criminal DA/PD, then mock trial will be more valuable.

Otherwise, it won't matter which, it's just something to add on your resume to show you're trying to gain some form of additional experience.

Do you know this for fact, or are you mainly speculating?

Look them up, ask around. It's not the first time I've seen them compared in that fashion.

Unless you've won some big competitions or something, neither will have the kind of pull with employers that law review does, so just pick the one you find most fun.

Mock Trial shows that you know how to think on your feet and you have somewhat of a grasp on the Rules of Evidence.

Moot Court shows you can speak well, write, research, analyze the law etc.

So in terms of which looks "better" i'd say moot court.

Neither will get you the job but both will make an employer confortable with their decision to hire you.

vanwinkle wrote:

GettingReady2010 wrote:

vanwinkle wrote:If you're looking for clerkships, moot court will be more valuable.

If you're looking to be a trial litigator, especially criminal DA/PD, then mock trial will be more valuable.

Otherwise, it won't matter which, it's just something to add on your resume to show you're trying to gain some form of additional experience.

Do you know this for fact, or are you mainly speculating?

I have gotten this from discussions in several places about public interest jobs, including with people who have worked at DA/PD offices.

I have heard this as well. It also makes sense. ADA/PDs do trial work (mock trial), they don't do anything resembling moot court (except for the few that handle appeals).

what if you don't make it onto moot court? Could you substitute mock trial for those employers that request moot court?

truthypants wrote:what if you don't make it onto moot court? Could you substitute mock trial for those employers that request moot court?

No employer cares about moot court. They care about sorting lazy sack of shit law students from over-eager billing machines.

It's very easy for a firm to say "Yeah we prefer good grades and journals and moot court and tall people who don't perspire much" but that doesn't translate to hiring practices.

Moot court is an extraordinarily mediocre credential, as is mock trial. Winning prizes at them is nice and will help all else being equal, but there just aren't employers out there who view it as useful for practice, prestigious, etc. in its own right.

Just pick one--the benefit of being on moot court or mock trial is that you won't have to fumble for an answer during an interview as to why you aren't on moot court.

disco_barred wrote:

truthypants wrote:what if you don't make it onto moot court? Could you substitute mock trial for those employers that request moot court?

No employer cares about moot court. They care about sorting lazy sack of shit law students from over-eager billing machines.

It's very easy for a firm to say "Yeah we prefer good grades and journals and moot court and tall people who don't perspire much" but that doesn't translate to hiring practices.

Moot court is an extraordinarily mediocre credential, as is mock trial. Winning prizes at them is nice and will help all else being equal, but there just aren't employers out there who view it as useful for practice, prestigious, etc. in its own right.

I disagree. They may not "care" about moot court in the sense that they won't be like "if you're not on moot court, we won't hire you," but I have a friend who hit it off with at least three of her OCI interviewers because they were moot court competitors and saw that she was going to compete too. So even though the firm may not care, it's sort of an easy way to get through to your interviewer since they are likely to be alum from your own school. Of course, that's only a fringe benefit; I think there's a lot of other benefits to being on moot court if you're in a school where the program is well-run. Same with mock trial, I would imagine.

It's like being on a journal--it hurts you if you aren't on it. Employers will see it as a gap on the resume and may ask you why you aren't on moot court. I'd work hard to get on so you won't have the gap on the resume, but after that point I wouldn't kill myself putting a lot of effort into it.

Correction to above posts: There are FEW BIG employers who care about it. It hurts if you're not on it if you're not on a journal instead.

My school's moot court captain went biglaw $$$$$$

hi_im_josh wrote:It's like being on a journal--it hurts you if you aren't on it. Employers will see it as a gap on the resume and may ask you why you aren't on moot court. I'd work hard to get on so you won't have the gap on the resume, but after that point I wouldn't kill myself putting a lot of effort into it.

I haven't had a single employer ask about it, not a peep...

hi_im_josh wrote:It's like being on a journal--it hurts you if you aren't on it. Employers will see it as a gap on the resume and may ask you why you aren't on moot court. I'd work hard to get on so you won't have the gap on the resume, but after that point I wouldn't kill myself putting a lot of effort into it.

What? I haven't had one interviewer ask me about not being on moot court or mock trial, and I have three offers. It is a decent talking point, but so are other things on your resume. It's not anything 'lacking' if you don't do it, dude.