Moot Court Executive Board (MCEB) 2012- 2013 Rules, Polices & Procedures

RESUME RULE

·  Only competitors who have completed the first round of a competition may denote their participation on their resume. They may use the language: "Participant, [Formal name of competition]."

-  NOTE: For the Davis Appellate Advocacy Competition, a competitor has completed the "first round" of the competition after she has argued ‘on‐brief’ AND ‘off‐brief.’

·  Competitors who advance beyond the first round of a competition may denote their accomplishment on their resume using the language: "[Final standing/standing at time of resume's submission to employer], [Formal name of competition]."

-  Final standings may be denoted as: “Winner of...”; “Runner‐Up”; “Semifinalist”; and “Quarterfinalist” (note: some competitions do not have quarterfinal rounds).

·  Examples:

-  NO: Winner of Moot Court

-  YES: Winner of the John W. Davis Appellate Advocacy Competition

-  NO: First Round, Robert J. Grey, Jr. Negotiations Competition

-  YES: Participant, Robert J. Grey, Jr. Negotiations Competition

PROFESSIONALISM POLICY

All competitors must behave in a professional manner. This means competitors will follow the rules for each competition, will compete in traditional business attire, and will participate in the competition(s) with a sincere and serious interest.

Examples of unprofessional behavior include, but are not limited to: using profanity while competing; mocking or ridiculing fellow competitors or the competition itself; competing under the influence of alcohol or drugs; and breaches of the ABA Code of Professional Responsibility.

If unprofessional conduct is observed during a competition, the following will occur:

·  The competitor will be given a verbal warning about their behavior (which may include immediate disqualification from the round), and will be given a written warning after the round is complete.

·  If, after the first warning, the competitor continues to behave unprofessionally, the competitor will be eliminated from the competition and all future Moot Court competitions, and he/she must remove the competition from his/her resume.

If a competitor is warned, disqualified or barred from a competition for unprofessional behavior, he/she may file a grievance under the MCEB Grievance Procedure.

GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

The following grievance procedure shall be used for all complaints incident to a rules violation:

1)  All parties who feel that their individual situation constitutes an “exceptional circumstance” deserving of a policy/rule exception should first explain their situation to the competition administrator(s) for the competition at issue. The administrator(s) are responsible for interpreting the rules of the competition, and for determining when waivers are justified.

2)  If the aggrieved party feels that the administrator(s)’ determination is unsatisfactory, the individual should then notify the MCEB via a brief written statement explaining the nature of his/her grievance and stating his/her desire to make an oral appeal before the MCEB. A copy of this notice should be placed in both the MCEB mailbox, and the mailbox of the relevant competition administrator(s).

3)  The MCEB will contact the aggrieved party in writing, notifying him/her of a time scheduled for him/her to make an appearance. The party should be prepared to present his/her case in full, detailing the circumstances which he/she feels necessitate a waiver of the competition rules and/or policies.

4)  After the party has presented his/her case, the MCEB will discuss the merits of the claim and make a final determination. The party will be notified of the MCEB’s decision in writing shortly after his/her appearance. The decision reached by the MCEB is final.

MOOT COURT PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT

I, ______, hereby give my permission to Washington and Lee University, its agents, successors, assignees, clients and purchasers of its services and/or products to use my image (photographs of myself, recordings of my voice, and/or my name), regardless of what type of medium is used, to transmit said image in any instructional, commercial, or non-commercial manner whatsoever.

Further, I hereby specifically release Washington and Lee University, its agents, successors, assignees, clients and purchasers of its services and/or products from any claim of liability or damage or compensation of any type for the use of said images, photographs, recordings, and names as aforesaid.

Moreover, I confirm that I have attended or will view a recording of the mandatory Moot Court Initial Interest Meeting, which took place on Thursday, August 30, 2012. I acknowledge that I have read, understand and promise to follow the Moot Court Executive Board’s Resume Rule, Professionalism Policy and Grievance Procedure. I also promise to read, understand and follow any competition rules for each competition in which I participate.

I understand that if I drop out of any competition after I sign up—without a dispensation from the Moot Court Executive Board—I will be barred from participating in any other Moot Court competitions for the rest of the 2012-2013 academic year.

Signed the ______day of ______, 2012.

SIGNED: ______

Print Name: ______Carrel No.:______

School Year (circle one): 1L 2L 3L