Since 1989, student advocates from across the United States and Canada have participated in the National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition. The moot draws in excess of 200 competitors from diverse law schools and 200 attorneys who serve as judges for three days of oral arguments, to create a rigorous academic experience.

Recognized as the preeminent environmental law moot in the United States, the event tests skills in appellate brief writing and oral advocacy involving issues drawn from real cases, providing experience in environmental litigation first hand.  

The Competition is distinctive in that three adverse teams argue the issues, reflecting the fact that environmental litigation frequently involves multiple parties – the government, a public interest group and a member of the regulated industry.  

Teams write and file their briefs for their respective parties in early December and come to the Pace campus in February for the oral phase of the Competition.  Those with the highest combined scores for both the written brief and oral argument advance to succeeding rounds.

Previous legal problems have included illegal dumping of hazardous waste, vicarious criminal liability of corporate officers for their company's environmental crimes and commerce clause limits on water pollution regulation.

For further information, please refer to the Fact Sheet.