Moot Court is a simulated appellate court experience where students argue fictitious cases before a panel of judges, mimicking the format of real appellate court proceedings. The American Moot Court Association (AMCA) is a national organization that organizes and oversees intercollegiate moot court competitions across the United States. In these competitions, students work in two-person teams and present oral arguments on legal issues derived from hypothetical appellate cases.

Moot Court competitions develop students' advocacy skills, legal reasoning abilities, and oral advocacy techniques. They provide students with an opportunity to apply legal theory to practical situations, refine their persuasive speaking skills, and gain experience in a courtroom-like setting. Moot Court competitions are highly regarded within the legal community and are considered valuable experiential learning opportunities for future law students.

Moot Court at Buffalo State University

The Buffalo State Intercollegiate Moot Court Team has been competing in the AMCA's annual competitions for over a decade under the guidance of Professor Peter Yacobucci and local practicing attorney Bill Altreuter. Undergraduate students from majors across all three schools come together every fall semester to develop and refine arguments in response to the AMCA's legal hypothetical for the year. Preparations are hard and the intellectual challenges to all participants are significant, but our quirky hodge-podge family of moot courters challenge themselves and grow in ways that serve them in any career they pursue after graduation.

This year we hope to attend a preparation tournament at George Washington University and are scheduled to compete at a championship tournament at the College of the Holy Cross in December. In addition, this year for the first time we will be entering a number of students' written appellate briefs into the national AMCA brief writing competition.

How You Can Help

Donor support is what makes the Moot Court experience possible at Buffalo State, and that has never been more true than it is now. By defraying the costs associated with our competitions -- registration, transportation, and lodgings -- donors give our students access to a unique opportunity to learn and grow.

On this page you can make a gift to the Legal Studies Program Support Fund to support the Moot Court Team at Buffalo State.

Please donate today!