The State Bar Association of North Dakota Spring 2014 Gavel Magazine | Page 8

UND LAW STUDENTS

EXCEL IN SKILLS COMPETITIONS

K AT H R Y N R . L . R A N D
Dean, University of North Dakota
School of Law
The UND School of Law’s Curricular
Mission describes our educational
program as “designed to produce
competent and ethical lawyers with entrylevel proficiency and professional selfsufficiency.” In other words, we want our
graduates to be ready for practice.
As part of our practice-readiness efforts,
we’ve increased student opportunities
to participate in skills competitions. In
addition to our traditional moot court
competition in the fall, which culminates
in a final round judged by the North
Dakota Supreme Court, our students
participate in multiple moot court and
trial competitions in the spring.
Beyond honing advocacy skills, these
competitions give students a taste of the
pitfalls in real-world practice—ethical
dilemmas, legal gray areas, problematic
facts, questions that are not clearly
answered in the record, oversights in
preparation, mistakes in the courtroom,
left-field questions from the court, and
the impact of nerves and emotion on an
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THE GAVEL

advocate’s presentation of a case.
Student competitions are generously
supported by private donations—these are
investments in the future of our profession.
This financial support allows us to fund
student travel to regional and national
competitions, to engage practicing attorneys
as adjunct coaches, to present awards to
outstanding students, and to coordinate the
multi-day Carrigan Cup trial competition.
Many more attorneys and judges give of
their time and talent, sitting as judges
in practice and competition round ̰