Barristers’ Council provides students the opportunity to develop advocacy and counseling skills, and then apply those skills in moot court, mock trial, and transactional competitions. Each year, student members of the Barristers’ Council sharpen, polish, and apply their advocacy and counseling skills through individual coaching, law school programs, intraschool competitions, and interschool (external) competitions. Third-year students and experienced attorneys serve as judges for the competitions and provide valuable feedback to all competitors. Students who demonstrate excellent performance in intraschool competitions have the opportunity to represent Colorado Law at competitions against other top law schools around the country. Students with exceptional dedication and promise have the opportunity to serve in leadership roles on Barristers' Council during their third-year of law school.

  • Mock Trial
    • The Mock Trial Division of Barristers’ Council offers law students the ability to learn, practice, and hone trial skills before appearing as barred attorneys. In the Fall semester, 1Ls have the opportunity to learn about the Mock Trial program by serving as a witness for 2Ls and 3Ls competing in Colorado Law’s annual Jim R. Carrigan Cup Student Trial Competition. Then, during the Spring semester, 1Ls can put their litigation skills to the test in the annual mock trial competition against the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, where they will be coached by CU's Mock Trial National Team Members and judged by practicing attorneys and local judges. As 2Ls and 3Ls, law students can compete in the aforementioned Carrigan Cup as well as try out for Colorado Law's National Mock Trial Team, through which students compete all over the country in prestigious external competitions. Currently, the AAJ National Team are the reigning Regional Champions of the American Association for Justice Student Trial Advocacy Competition.
    • For more information, please contact: Suchinder Kalyan, Mock Trial President at Suchinder.Kalyan@colorado.ed or join the Mock Trial Canvas Page.
  • Moot Court
    • Moot Court simulates appellate-level proceedings, wherein law students are given the opportunity to write an appellate-style brief and present oral argument in front of a panel of judges. 2L and 3L students are invited to compete in the Breanna Boss Memorial Internal Moot Court Competition (Boss) in the fall semester for a chance to qualify for the Moot Court division of Barristers’ Council. Participation in Boss is required for students to take part in Colorado Law's Rothgerber Moot Court Competition in the spring, as well as external appellate advocacy competitions that take place all over the country. These competitions allow participants to develop their legal writing and showcase their oral advocacy skills in front of fellow students, practicing attorneys, and various federal and state judges.

    • For more information, please contact: Ashley Stephens, Moot Court President, at asst3815@colorado.edu or join the Moot Court Canvas Page.

  • Transactional
    • Transactional competitions provide law students interested in transactional law with the opportunity to hone their contract drafting, negotiation and arbitration skills. 1Ls are invited to participate in the Spring intraschool competition, where students will tackle the drafting and negotiating of an M&A-style deal. Students will be coached and judged by practicing transactional attorneys. As 2Ls and 3Ls, law students are able to tryout for the National Transactional Team, where students compete all over the country in various competitions, focusing on practice areas of choice such as entrepreneurial law, sports law, bankruptcy, intellectual property, and more.

    • For more information, please contact Kaden Dailey, Transactional President at kaden.dailey@colorado.edu or join the Transactional Canvas Page.

Officers:

Past Activities:

Intrascholastic Competitions

  • Colorado Appellate Advocacy Competition
  • Rothgerber Moot Court Competition
  • Carrigan Cup Trial Advocacy Competition
  • Purvis Gray Thomson Trial Challenge
  • Colorado Cup Trial Advocacy Competition
  • Hogan Lovells Trial Advocacy Competition, the "CU-DU Cup", with the University of Denver Sturm College of Law
  • University of Colorado Transactional Law Meets

National Competitions

  • National Appellate Advocacy Competition (sponsored by the American Bar Association)
  • National Trial Competition (sponsored by the American College of Trial Lawyers)
  • National Student Trial Advocacy Competition (sponsored by the American Association of Justice)
  • Costello National Criminal Trial Advocacy Competition

Special Interest Competitions

  • Price Media Law Moot Court Competition
  • Pace National Environmental Moot Court Competition
  • Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition
  • National Hispanic Moot Court Competition
  • Native American Law Student Association Moot Court Competition
  • Telecommunications Law Moot Court Competition
  • Saul Lefkowitz Trademark Moot Court Competition
  • National Moot Court in Child and Adoption Law
  • Gibbons National Criminal Procedure Moot Court Competition
  • First Amendment and Media Law – Diversity Competition
  • American Intellectual Property Law Competition
  • Stetson Law Int’l Environmental Moot Court Competition
  • Int’l Institute of Space Law Lachs Moot Court Competition
  • NAPABA Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition

Other resources:

  • Click here to visit the American College of Trial Lawyers
  • Click here to visit the American Association of Justice
  • Click here to find us on TWEN