LaLSA Asylum and Refugee Law Moot Court

2018 - 2019 LaLSA Moot Court Team

The Team

Sponsored by CLS LaLSA, the LaLSA Asylum and Refugee Law National Moot Court offers law students the opportunity to develop brief-writing and oral advocacy skills while exploring complex contemporary issues in refugee and asylum law. Every year, thousands of refugees apply for asylum in the United States to escape persecution in their home countries. The LaLSA Moot Court will focus on the legal issues that affect those asylum claims. This competition is the only competition in the nation devoted exclusively to the topic of asylum and refugee law.

The Competition

Our 2018 - 2019 team competed in the Twelfth Annual Asylum and Refugee Law National Moot Court Competition hosted by UC Davis School of Law. During the fall semester, students participated in oral advocacy and legal research training and were invited to various social events to build relationships with team members, coaches, and editors. The competition problem was released in early December, and students wrote the first draft of their briefs during the winter break.

The final draft of the brief was due in mid-January after a weeklong boot camp on legal research and writing and oral advocacy. During this time, students began practicing their oral arguments in preparation for the internal competition, which was judged by respected practitioners, professors, and judges, in late January. The three winning teams represented Columbia Law School in the national competition, which was held in Davis, California during the first weekend in March.

This program is made possible by the generous support of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.