The major Moot Court activity at Stanford Law School is the Marion Rice Kirkwood Memorial Competition, which takes place each year during the spring term. Prior to the competition itself, materials and lectures are provided on research, brief writing, and oral advocacy techniques.
Registration for the Kirkwood Competition is by team. Each team is required to submit an appellate brief of substantial length and quality, and to complete in at least two oral arguments, once on each side of the hypothetical case. The first draft of the brief is reviewed and critiqued by the course instructors. The final draft of the brief is scored by the course instructors and members of the Moot Court Board. The course also offers videotaping and critiques of practice oral arguments. Panels of local attorneys and judges serve as judges and score the oral argument portion of the competition.
Teams are selected for the quarterfinal, semifinal and final round of the competition based on their brief score and oral advocacy score. The final round of the competition is held before a panel of distinguished judges and the entire Law School community is invited to attend.