UM-Flint's 2024-25 moot court team ranked No. 19 in the U.S. by the AMCA

Just five years into its existence, the University of Michigan-Flint's moot court team continues to excel at the national level. The American Moot Court Association ranked UM-Flint's team No. 13 in Appellate Brief Writing (up from 22 last year), No. 23 in Oral Advocacy and No. 19 overall in the nation.

"The success of our team, in such a short amount of time, shows that we are talented and we are here - and that we should be loud about it," said Chloe Covert, a senior political science major from Flushing, who has been on the team for three years. "I want other students to find their way to us, because I believe that this kind of work, which often blends the arts, humanities and sciences, is so important."

"The case problems that are developed each year by the AMCA for competition are not easy and they ask our students to take on legal challenges that have no right or wrong answer," said Kimberly Saks, associate professor of political science and the team's advisor. "This past year's question explored whether free speech protects someone's encouragement of self-harm of another, and whether facial recognition technology presents a self-incrimination protection issue under the Fifth Amendment. These are novel legal issues that the courts have not yet decided and our students dealt with them with great sophistication; they have to argue them on both sides in the oral argument competition, switching from one to the other. This kind of skill is earned from hard work and dedication."

From Covert's perspective, the challenge of analyzing an issue from multiple positions is one of the most valuable elements of the moot court experience. To be ready for competition, the team develops and practices its arguments from both the plaintiff's and the respondent's perspectives.

"One of the most important things I've learned is that both sides deserve to be heard, both sides deserve justice, and even if I don't personally agree with something, I can put my feelings aside to provide the best argument possible," she said. "We don't get to choose the side that we're on, and we don't learn which side we'll be arguing until the day of the competition, so it inspires us to look at all of the different angles possible. Which I think is a great skill for anyone to have."

Members of the team work on the assigned case problem throughout the fall, meeting regularly to review assigned readings related to the case, discuss their perspectives and interpretations of the readings, and develop their written and oral arguments. The team is divided into pairs and those teammates compete together at competitions.

"These rankings reflect the work our entire team put into the process from start to finish this past year. It isn't just one of our teams that made this happen; it was the entire team that made this a reality," Saks said. "Whether it was preparing for oral argument, giving their all at regionals or nationals, or writing excellent appellate briefs, our students were on top of their game. Their dedication was evident from beginning to end."

"It's one thing to recognize that there can be more than one valid position on a given issue; it's another to actually do the work of considering all aspects and making cogent arguments from two different sides," said Theodore Rippey, dean of the College of Arts, Sciences & Education. "What our moot court students have done is not only an impressive achievement in itself, it's also a heartening example of building the ability to interpret things from different perspectives - a skill that has become increasingly scarce and valuable in our politically fractured times."

Covert has not only expanded her skills in writing, interpretation, argumentation and public speaking, but her time on the moot court team has also taught her to think bigger. "This experience has taught me to think about more than just myself - I had to think of my teammate because we had to develop our approach together, but I also had to think about and support the team as a whole, as well as think about the person I'm representing," she said. "These aren't real cases, but they could be, and I think everyone would benefit from learning more about how to find information and navigate the legal system."

"The team is getting better each year because we learn more about what it means to be prepared and to understand better what the judges are looking for in each case problem," said Saks. "Our students' dedication has been there since day one. It is fitting that we were ranked this high to mark the fifth anniversary of moot court at UM-Flint. I look forward to seeing what the sixth year brings."

The team is open to all students and is a great way to connect with others on campus, refine professional writing skills, practice public speaking, and engage with students from around the country.

As all the other previous members of the moot court have graduated, Covert is the only returning member, so the group is fielding a nearly brand-new team for the 2025-26 season. "It seems like a lot, but it's not - it's not scary. It might seem so at first, but it's just like working out a muscle; with practice, you'll develop these exceptional skills," she said. "As my grandfather used to tell me, 'You don't eat an elephant in one bite, you eat it piece by piece.' Moot court is the same way."

For more information and to join the UM-Flint moot court team, contact Saks at [email protected].