About the Langfan Family First-Year Competition
The William and Marion Langfan Family First-Year Moot Court Competition is only open to first year students, and is the first major opportunity for students at Cornell to compete in Moot Court. A succinct summary of argument is required, but there is no independent brief component for the Langfan Competition. Students are evaluated solely on the substance and form of their oral advocacy.
Each competitor argues once for petitioner and once for respondent in the preliminary rounds. Competitors are scored by members of the Moot Court Board. Their scores from both rounds are tallied, and the highest and lowest scores are dropped to ensure fairness and reliability. The top 32 scorers are invited to the elimination rounds of the tournament, where competitors will be judged by and receive feedback from professors and Federal judges. The final round is argued before a bench of Federal judges.
Students participating in the Langfan tournament also participate in a unique tradition. Prior to their first argument, they are asked to sign into the Langfan Family First-Year Tournament Signature Book. This book holds the names of twenty five years worth of competitors and allows first-year students at Cornell to officially become a part of the Moot Court tradition.
The first place winner of the Langfan Family First-Year Moot Court Competition receives a $500 cash prize, a $350 BarBri scholarship, and the First-Year Moot Court Competition Trophy. The second place finisher receives $250, a $250 BarBri scholarship, and an engraved plaque. The competition prize was first funded by the Langfan family in 2004-2005.
2009 Langfan Competition Announcement
The Moot Court Board is proud to announce the 2009 Langfan First-Year Competition.
The board invites all first-year students to an informational meeting in the spring semester. That meeting will include all information about the competition, a copy of the problem, and a closed list of cases you may use for arguments. Dinner will be served.
The tournament is a friendly debate and competition. Rounds are exciting and educational. As a competitor, you will come to know classmates and upper-class students. Additionally, firms, not-for-profits, government agencies, and judges appreciate and prize many skills developed and perfected through moot court competition. These include identifying legal issues and defenses, articulating arguments in a clear manner, public speaking, ability to respond to questions, and familiarity with courtroom rules and decorum. Everyone who participates in Moot Court—whether it is in one competition or in many over the course of your time here—will notice a measurable improvement in these skills.
Informational Meeting: TBD
Preliminary Rounds: March 23-26, 2009
Elimination Rounds: March 30-31, 2009
Quarterfinals: April 1, 2009
Semifinals: April 2, 2009
Final Round: April 4, 2009 at 5:00 PM
As information about the competition becomes available, it will be posted on this site and accessible using the links on the left.
For more information, please e-mail Moot Court Board Chancellor Alison Bain-Lucey (alb287@cornell.edu) or Moot Court Executive Vice-Chancellor Kim Knudson (kdk56@cornell.edu) or Moot Court Vice-Chancellor of Internals Lauren Pierson (lbp36@cornell.edu).