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By Megan Crowley
I recently had the opportunity to compete in the American Moot Court Association (AMCA) National Finals with the McConnell Center’s moot court team. That opportunity presented itself this January following the AMCA’s newly instituted “super-regional” tournament in Lexington, during which my partner and I finished as runners-up. The week after that competition, I began preparing to travel to Texas Tech Law School Lubbock, TX and to compete alongside 32 of the nation’s top teams. That reality – that I would actually compete at nationals, and that I had actually qualified – seemed somewhat unbelievable, when I really took time to consider it.
I recently had the opportunity to compete in the American Moot Court Association (AMCA) National Finals with the McConnell Center’s moot court team. That opportunity presented itself this January following the AMCA’s newly instituted “super-regional” tournament in Lexington, during which my partner and I finished as runners-up. The week after that competition, I began preparing to travel to Texas Tech Law School Lubbock, TX and to compete alongside 32 of the nation’s top teams. That reality – that I would actually compete at nationals, and that I had actually qualified – seemed somewhat unbelievable, when I really took time to consider it.
I joined moot court my freshman year – a decision which precipitated the most difficult academic span of my life (to that point). Though I enjoyed reading the cases and drafting the argument, I felt woefully, even tragically, underqualified for much of the semester. Moot court consumed a substantial amount of time, of course, but what made it truly challenging was its novelty – I’d never done anything remotely similar in high school and, though the other participants and coaches provided guidance and support, I was responsible for developing my own understanding and argument. I had never considered myself a particularly nervous public speaker, but the idea of delivering a moot court argument caused me more trepidation than I’d ever experienced in an academic setting. Somehow (and I really don’t know how, in retrospect) I made it through the semester, competed in my first tournament, and, by the end of the season, felt more genuinely accomplished and gratified than I ever had. Though that first season of moot court provided a greater academic challenge than anything else I experienced that year, it also instilled me with the ability to read complex texts, write and speak persuasively, and, most importantly, to persevere through failure.
I returned to moot court my sophomore year to find myself (thankfully) much more prepared and relaxed than the year prior. Unlike my freshman year, I did not have to dedicate much time or energy toward figuring out what steps to take and how to take them – I had already accrued the baseline knowledge. Of course, I still faced challenges throughout the course of the semester, but I found myself much less nervous and much more excited about the concluding competition. Though we did not qualify for nationals in 2022, I still felt the acute sense of accomplishment which accompanies the completion of such an undertaking.
I spent much of the flight from Dallas to Lubbock contemplating this evolution, and exited the plane with a newfound sense of admiration for freshman year self. In 2021, I certainly wouldn’t have been able to imagine myself competing at nationals, but the decisions I made that year paved the way for that exact situation. In that last competition, my partner and I ended up finishing in the top half of competitors – a result which punctuated our last year competing together, and one which I feel proud to have achieved.
My experience in moot court has, in no small way, shaped both my college experience and the way in which I approach and think through problems. For that, I feel eternally grateful.
My experience in moot court has, in no small way, shaped both my college experience and the way in which I approach and think through problems. For that, I feel eternally grateful.
Megan Crowley is a McConnell Scholar in the class of 2025. She is studying political science at the University of Louisville.