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Which would be better for employment prospects?

Neither is going to help much. You are better off doing a directed research and publishing a law review article.

Danteshek wrote:Neither is going to help much. You are better off doing a directed research and publishing a law review article.

Really, why is this? I'd think depending on career goals, legal research might not be the best choice for all.

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I find that those who were involved with Moot Court tend to have a great deal of respect for it, because of that some figure (lets say 1/5) of potential employers look upon it very favorably, regardless of any objective value it may or may not have. I don't think the appellate clinic is likely to have the same effect.

Cupidity wrote:I find that those who were involved with Moot Court tend to have a great deal of respect for it, because of that some figure (lets say 1/5) of potential employers look upon it very favorably, regardless of any objective value it may or may not have. I don't think the appellate clinic is likely to have the same effect.

Would you recommend doing both if OP has the time? I am in a similar situation where I am trying to decide between an externship in a Criminal Appeals unit and doing Moot Court. However, if it is manageable to do both then that is probably what I will do.

blueprint87 wrote: Would you recommend doing both if OP has the time? I am in a similar situation where I am trying to decide between an externship in a Criminal Appeals unit and doing Moot Court. However, if it is manageable to do both then that is probably what I will do.

I'd think doing both would be ideal for experience and connections, if manageable. Might be tough...Though I've heard the amount of extra time required for clinical work can vary broadly.

So the question is whether real appellate advocacy or fake appellate advocacy is better?

npe wrote:So the question is whether real appellate advocacy or fake appellate advocacy is better?

Or whether both can be done well enough.

npe wrote:So the question is whether real appellate advocacy or fake appellate advocacy is better?

A real case you are tangentially involved in vs. a fake case you are deeply involved in

Anonymous User wrote:Which would be better for employment prospects?

Are you asking about finding work in appellate lit specifically when you graduate? If so then the correct answer is "both, plus prayer".

Otherwise it doesn't matter that much. Both are ways of learning about the law outside the traditional casebook courses, but there are also other ways to do that effectively (other clinics, journals, academic writing, et cetera). Any of them are good and doing more than one of them can be better, but none of them are specific one-trumps-the-other things.

Maybe in a more specific sense, it could matter. (Ex: Appellate clinic run by well-connected prof is prominent and well-connected. Or, you actually win or at least highly place in the moot court competition.) But generally and broadly, one doesn't weigh that much more than the other.