The Florida Bar High School Appellate Brief Writing & Moot Court Competition is a two-part program that offers a unique opportunity to learn about the appellate process. Students write briefs and are invited to present oral argument before appellate judges in each of the six District Courts of Appeal based on a fictitious case. A statewide final round is held at the Florida Supreme Court.
Read about the 2022-2023 competition and check back for information about the 2023-2024 competition.
High school students in Florida are invited to participate in a brief-writing and oral argument exercise using a case problem drafted by members of The Florida Bar Law Related Education Committee. The case problem will consist of two items: (1) a fictional majority opinion and dissenting opinion by a panel of Florida’s Seventh District Court of Appeal that addresses two legal issues; and (2) a fictional order by the Florida Supreme Court that accepts jurisdiction of the case for briefing and argument on the two issues.
Each team of two students, coached by one teacher or qualified sponsor, will submit a brief for either the petitioner or the respondent. The briefs may only use the cases, citations, and other legal authorities cited in the case problem. After submission, each brief is reviewed and scored by a minimum of three brief graders—law students, law clerks, attorneys, professors, judges, justices, or other qualified individuals—recruited by The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section.
The top two to six teams with the highest graded briefs within the jurisdiction of each appellate district will present one oral argument before a panel of the corresponding District Court of Appeal. Each team is assigned a side of the case for argument in advance, and both students must participate. The panel will have sole discretion over the scoring of oral arguments and will decide by consensus on the team or teams to advance to the State Finals in Tallahassee.
At the State Finals, a panel of appellate judges will hear arguments by the teams that advanced from the District Competitions. Each team is assigned in advance a side of the case to present one oral argument, and both students must participate. The panel will have sole discretion over the scoring of oral arguments and will decide by consensus on two teams to advance to the Final Round before the Florida Supreme Court.
The Florida Supreme Court will preside over a single oral argument by the two advancing teams. Each team is assigned a side of the case for argument in advance of the Final Round, and both students from each team must participate. The Florida Supreme Court will have sole discretion over the scoring and will decide by consensus on the winning team based on scoring criteria. The winning team will be announced at the conclusion of the Final Round. There will also be awards for Best Brief and Best Oralist.
