Each year the National Native American Law Student Association (NNALSA) conducts a Moot Court competition to challenge the legal writing and oral advocacy skills of its members. This competition draws together a wide assortment of individuals from the legal, tribal, academic, judicial and law student communities.
The competition uses the many legal issues facing Indian people today as the backdrop for what is always a challenging problem. Early in the fall semester NNALSA posts the competition problem and entry requirements on its web site. Students enroll in course credit midway through the fall semester (credit can be earned either in teh fall or the spring, or both). Briefs are normally submitted during the Christmas break, and the competition is usually conducted at the end of February.
The location of the competition changes each year, with the 2009 competition scheduled at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Past competitions have been held at the Minneapolis/St. Paul Law Schools, the University of Denver Law School, Columbia, Arizona State, and the Universtity of Washington Law School. The results of these past competitions can be found on the NNALSA web site.
The Indigenous Law Students Association at the University of Wisconsin Law School fields competitive teams to this event each year. The competition is open to all UW Law students who are (1) ILSA members, and (2) NNALSA members. Competitors (1 & 2L's) may earn 1-3 credits for their participation. 1L's are encouraged to participate in the pre-competition practices and even to attend a competition to prepare for their later competition. So far, eight UW ILSA students are signed up for the national competition.
Last updated: Tuesday, November 25, 2008