Skip over carousel to next section
  • Photo of trophies won by the Chapman competitive advocacy teams
Fowler School of Law
Advocacy Competitions

»Student Advocacy Program

A Tradition of Excellence

The Fowler School of Law fields three student advocacy competition teams: the Appellate Moot Court Board, the Mock Trial Board and the Alternate Dispute Resolution Board. Students compete in various simulated court situations, both in-house and with schools at the regional and national level.

Student advocacy competitions at the Fowler School of Law offer "real-world" opportunities for students to practice research, writing, analytical, and communication skills. The competitions also provide practical training in ethics, judgment, and professionalism. By participating in the various competition programs, students put their skills into practice in a setting where pride and healthy competition drive them to excel.

Chapman's competition programs are consistently competitive on a local, state and national level, with teams frequently placing among some of the nation's best law schools.

Graduates who have participated in the competition programs are sought after by the hiring community, based on their real-world experience. Competitions offer an opportunity to learn and internalize necessary skills and values in an intense, enjoyable way.

Competitions also offer a way to meet and learn from members of the local bench and bar, who have acted as judges and coaches for our teams, and to interact with skilled advocates and judges from outside of Orange County.


Toggle Section

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Board

The Alternative Dispute Resolution Board consists of students who have participated in Client Counseling or Negotiation competitions. These programs provide participating students with:

  • "real-life" experience in the practice of law in a controlled environment
  • a forum to develop important skills that they will use as practitioners 
  • networking opportunities with fellow law students and attorneys

The winning teams from in-house competitions go on to compete each year in interscholastic competitions.

The ABA Client Counseling Competition emphasizes the importance of preventive law and the need to be an effective counselor in the law office. The competition tests the student’s ability to deal with clients’ non-legal goals as well as their legal concerns. Students must coordinate their efforts in placing the client at ease, as well as probe the client for relevant details. The goal of the competition is to be hired by the client, but at the same time, not give any false hope, violate any ethical duties of an attorney, or give inaccurate advice.

The Negotiations Competitions emphasize the importance of negotiation in resolving disputes and structuring transactions. Opposing teams of students, acting as lawyers, negotiate a client problem or transaction and reach a mutually accepted resolution. One of the major benefits is the receipt of direct feedback from the judges who participate in the competitions.

In addition to sending teams to competitions, Chapman has hosted several prestigious competitions, including regional and national ABA Client Counseling Competitions, and regional rounds of the ABA Negotiation Competition and the National Trial Competition.

 

CONTACT THE ADR

ADR President
adr@chapman.edu

Faculty Advisor Professor John Bishop
bishop@chapman.edu

Mock Trial Board


The Mock Trial Board represents the Fowler School of Law at various mock trial competitions. Teams of three or four members prepare and argue a case in an actual courtroom, with members of the bench and bar serving as judges. This includes making opening statements and closing arguments, conducting direct and cross-examination of witnesses and raising evidentiary objections when appropriate. The cases argued are carefully drafted legal problems that give members an opportunity to develop and enhance their trial advocacy skills in a courtroom setting.

One thing that sets our program apart from other schools is that all of our coaches were on the Mock Trial Board at Chapman and did extremely well in mock trial. They are also currently either District Attorneys or civil litigators. This is valuable because they can offer advice on how to perform well at mock trial, and in the real world of litigation. That means our focus is not only on preparing students for success in mock trial, but also to prepare students for success as future litigators.

To join the Mock Trial Board, interested students must try out and compete in an internal mock trial competition. Students select partners and are given a case to prepare and argue. On the day of the competition, student teams conduct a trial with other student teams in a courtroom. Mock Trial Board members, along with law faculty and members of the local bench and bar, evaluate and score the students on their "raw" trial advocacy skills. Members are then invited to join the Board based on their scores. Students receive academic credit for interscholastic trial competitions.



CONTACT THE MOCK TRIAL BOARD

Mock Trial Board President
mocktrial@chapman.edu

Faculty Advisor Professor John Bishop
bishop@chapman.edu

Moot Court Board

Chapman University Fowler School of Law’s Moot Court Competition Board offers selected students the opportunity to develop oral and written advocacy skills learned in the classroom by applying them in simulated arguments before the Supreme Court.

Each spring, all 1L students participate in a competition where the top oralists are invited to become members of the Board. Local judges, prominent attorneys, legal scholars, and Board members serve as judges. In the fall, the Board conducts an in-house competition for 2Ls where additional students may earn a place on the team.

Membership on the Board provides an excellent opportunity for elite students to test their advocacy skills. As Board members, students are eligible to represent their school in regional and national competitions. Chapman team members receive academic credit for the time, effort, and commitment required to prepare successful briefs and oral presentations.

Each team researches an assigned issue, composes and refines a written brief, and polishes its oral presentation through numerous practice rounds judged by faculty and fellow Board members. Participation on the Board fosters a sense of accomplishment, teamwork, and school pride. Recent unprecedented success is evidence of Chapman’s growing reputation as a Moot Court powerhouse.



CONTACT THE MOOT COURT BOARD

Moot Court President
mootcourt@chapman.edu

Faculty Advisor Professor John Bishop
bishop@chapman.edu

Student Advocacy Coaches

photo of Jessica Arbgast

Jessica Arbgast

(JD '24)
Jessica Arbgast works at the Orange County Public Defender’s Office. While at Chapman, she was the President of the Latinx Law Students Association and served as Competitions Chair of Moot Court.
arbgast@chapman.edu
photo of Justin Calub

Justin Calub

(JD '23)
Justin Calub is a deputy district attorney in Orange County. As a student at Chapman, he was the Mock Trial Competitions Team Chairman.
photo of Dominique Cavalier

Dominique Cavalier

(JD '20)
Dominique Cavalier (Dom) is a contract negotiator for a technology VAR. During his time at Chapman, he served as mock trial and BSLA president and was the first-ever African American Golden Gavel winner.
LinkedIn
photo of Jonathan Cayton

Jonathan Cayton

(JD '14)
Jonathan Cayton is a mediator in Orange County and received his master's degree in dispute resolution from Pepperdine University's Straus Institute. While at Chapman, he was President of Mock Trial, Vice-President of Moot Court, and a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Board. Before attending Chapman, he served in the United States Marine Corps.
photo of Lance Cotton

Lance Cotton

(JD '19)
Lance Cotton is a deputy district attorney in Orange County, currently assigned to the Gangs Unit. While at Chapman, he was president of Moot Court and co-founded the Black Law Students Association.
lacotton@chapman.edu
photo of Lindsay Johnson

Lindsay Johnson

(JD '13)

Lindsay Johnson is a partner at Ray & Bishop in Newport Beach, handling licensing matters for healthcare providers.  While at Chapman, she was Competitions Chair of Moot Court, a member of the Honor Council, and an assistant editor for Treatise on Constitutional Law Substance and Procedure.
Website

photo of Elizabeth Kim

Elizabeth Kim

(JD '22)
Elizabeth Kim is an associate attorney at Lanzone Morgan, LLP, a firm that primarily litigates elder abuse and neglect cases against care facilities. During her time at Chapman, she competed for all three competition teams, serving as the Competitions Chair for the Mock Trial team and Moot Court Board.
Website
photo of Tyler Makin

Tyler Makin

(JD '24)

Tyler Makin is an entrepreneur and attorney in Orange County, handling business and real estate matters. While at Chapman, he served as president of both the Mock Trial and Alternative Dispute Resolution boards.
Website

photo of Clay-Michael O'Neal

Clay-Michael O'Neal

(JD '13)

Clay has been teaching and coaching negotiation and advocacy skills at Fowler School of Law for over a decade. In addition to his academic role, he serves as the Chief Operating Officer for United Contractors, a trade association that advocates for and supports union-signatory contractors within the heavy civil construction industry.
LinkedIn

photo of Eric Rasyidi

Eric Rasyidi

(JD '20)
Eric Rasyidi is a transactional attorney specializing in intellectual property and employment matters. While at Chapman, Eric was the Moot Court chairperson.