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What's better, being on Law Review or doing mock trial / moot court?

Does it depend on what you want to do with your degree, or is one always better than the other?

kalvano wrote:What's better, being on Law Review or doing mock trial / moot court?

Does it depend on what you want to do with your degree, or is one always better than the other?

If you want to be a prosecutor or public defender I hear that moot court is better.

That's kind of what I'm wondering. I assume journals are better for Biglaw, but if I want to do prosecution, would being active in Wake's excellent moot / mock program be a better use of time?

Or does working law review trump all, all the time?

kalvano wrote:What's better, being on Law Review or doing mock trial / moot court?

Does it depend on what you want to do with your degree, or is one always better than the other?

LR is always better. Anyone who tells you otherwise is smokin' some really good stuff. LR membership is a perennial badge of distinction that most law students cannot obtain. And you can easily manage both LR and mock trial (or moot court). I know several people who've done so.

Seriously, get the invitation to join LR. Then deliberate.

kalvano wrote:That's kind of what I'm wondering. I assume journals are better for Biglaw, but if I want to do prosecution, would being active in Wake's excellent moot / mock program be a better use of time?

Or does working law review trump all, all the time?

A strong showing in moot court will help you more for prosecution. To a prosecutor or public defender's office, Law Review looks good as a symbol you've probably got good grades... but then they'll look at your grades. LR won't make up for bad grades, or at least that's been something I've heard people saying ITE.

The other problem is you don't know how far you're going to go in moot court. You could fall out in the first round and then be done with it. In that case you'll want LR so you have something to actually do the rest of your 2L and 3L years.

just do everything you get an opportunity to do. never turn down LR. go for moot court/trial team

If you can handle having zero free-time then do both. The real tough choice would come if you were offered an editing position on the LR and also doing moot court.

Go for everything. LR is best. I'm also curious about this topic but I think...

If you are sure you want to be a DA, Trial Team would be next best, then moot court. Speech team membership-value depends on the type of employer you apply to; i.e. transactional law firm would not care about trial team but DA's office would love it since thats what they do all the time (litigate in front of juries). Moot Court while good, would not as closely simulate a DA's type of work since its appellate oriented.

Some schools don't let you do both. If that is the case then LR is a no brainer. Even if you are gunning for a prosecutor position, LR is a solid piece on the resume. But if you are deciding between a secondary journal and moot court it might be more of a toss-up. Though I would lean toward moot court if you are sure you want to be a DA.

By the by, I am not going to school assuming I will make any of these. It's my goal, yes, but I know nothing is for sure.

It was more idle curiosity if the importance of these things are ranked in any particular order.

kalvano wrote:By the by, I am not going to school assuming I will make any of these. It's my goal, yes, but I know nothing is for sure.

It was more idle curiosity if the importance of these things are ranked in any particular order.

1) Law Review

2) Anything else

/thread

Law Review trumps everything.

Beyond that....if you want biglaw or a chance at a clerkship, do a journal. Preferably one that you have to grade/write onto.

If you want to be a prosecutor the moot court might help.

So I'd say for most people the pecking order is:
1) LR
2) Journal that you have to grade/write on to.
3) Moot court
4) Journals with open membership.

What if it is a secondary journal or moot court/mock trail?

MoS wrote:What if it is a secondary journal or moot court/mock trail?

Then doing one of them could be beneficial.

vanwinkle wrote:

kalvano wrote:By the by, I am not going to school assuming I will make any of these. It's my goal, yes, but I know nothing is for sure.

It was more idle curiosity if the importance of these things are ranked in any particular order.

1) Law Review

2) Anything else

/thread

Pretty much what I figured.

Only two law school extra curriculars matter.

The first is law review. The second is not having any law school extra curriculars.

Seriously.

disco_barred wrote:Only two law school extra curriculars matter.

The first is law review. The second is not having any law school extra curriculars.

Seriously.

I must respectfully disagree.

Most of the decent jobs posted on symplicity last fall (especially the OCI posts) said "Journal Preferred", or "Journal or Moot Court Required."
Some do say "law review preferred/required" but they almost all want some kind of journal, or at least moot court.

EVERYONE that I know who has a paying job for our upcoming 2L summer is on a journal. Sure, those on Law Review got the best ones, but some kind of journal membership seems to be the key factor between a job and an unpaid internship.
Not having any extra curriculars seems like a recipe for unemployment.

reverendt wrote:

disco_barred wrote:Only two law school extra curriculars matter.

The first is law review. The second is not having any law school extra curriculars.

Seriously.

I must respectfully disagree.

Most of the decent jobs posted on symplicity last fall (especially the OCI posts) said "Journal Preferred", or "Journal or Moot Court Required."
Some do say "law review preferred/required" but they almost all want some kind of journal, or at least moot court.

EVERYONE that I know who has a paying job for our upcoming 2L summer is on a journal. Sure, those on Law Review got the best ones, but some kind of journal membership seems to be the key factor between a job and an unpaid internship.
Not having any extra curriculars seems like a recipe for unemployment.

Fun fact: You made a post that began with "I must respectfully disagree" and then agreed, one at a time, with every word I wrote.

disco_barred wrote: Fun fact: You made a post that began with "I must respectfully disagree" and then agreed, one at a time, with every word I wrote.

Hmmm....exercise in construction. I read your post to mean that folks who don't make law review should not bother to do any other extra-curriculars.

Stepping back and reading it differently it seems we're on the same page.

Lots of oral advocacy stuff can look good for ADA/PD. Law Review is still #1 with a bullet.

Some journal is absolutely mandatory for clerking for a judge.

I think I've seen you on the SMU thread and I'm pretty sure when I toured it they said that moot court was required at SMU. Someone correct me if I'm wrong though!

Stephanie13 wrote:I think I've seen you on the SMU thread and I'm pretty sure when I toured it they said that moot court was required at SMU. Someone correct me if I'm wrong though!

I think they said some participation is required, but nothing big. I can't recall exactly what it is because I plan on participating no matter what.