The ABA Law Student Division National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC) emphasizes the development of oral advocacy skills through a realistic appellate advocacy experience.  Competitors participate in a hypothetical appeal to the United States Supreme Court. The competition involves writing a brief as either respondent or petitioner and then arguing the case in front of the mock court. 

MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENT
All competitors must be ABA Law Student Division members in good standing (i.e. dues paid in full for the current bar year—September 1 to August 31—by December 1, 2009).

JOIN THE ABA
To join the American Bar Association and begin enjoying the benefits of membership for only $25, you may call 800.285.2221 or sign up online.

NOTE: Competitors who select the “Bill Me” option run the risk of disqualification if the ABA does not receive their Law Student dues by December 1, 2009.

TEAM MEMBER NAME AND ABA ID NUMBER SUBMISSION
Using an online form provided for this purpose, schools must supply the Law Student Division with each team member's name and his or her ABA member identification number on or before December 1, 2009 (this is a strict liability deadline, there will be no exceptions).

2009-2010 COMPETITION TOPIC
Constitutional Law / Federal Preemption

TEAM COMPOSITION AND COMPETITION FORMAT
A team consists of two or three JD candidates attending the same ABA-approved law school. Teams write their brief and then present oral arguments.

The regional competition consists of three qualifying rounds with each team arguing at least once on behalf of the respondent and once on behalf of the petitioner. Teams are power-matched for the first two rounds based on their brief scores. After the qualifying rounds, the top 16 teams advance to the semifinal round, with the winners advancing to the final round. The winning four teams from each regional competition advance to the National Finals.

ENTRY FEES / REGIONAL ASSIGNMENTS
The entry fee for the school’s first team is $600 and the fee for each additional team is $450. A school may enter one or two teams and, if space is available, schools may enter a third team. The competition works best with a multiple of four teams competing in each regional competition. Payment for the school’s first and second team, if applicable, must arrive at the ABA by November 6, 2009. Schools will be notified about 10 days after the entry deadline whether they may send a third team to the regional competition—at the time the school receives its regional assignment. Payment for the additional team must arrive at the ABA within two weeks of notification.

COMPETITION VIDEOS / PAST COMPETITION PROBLEMS
Videos capturing entire national championship rounds including the judges' evaluations are available for purchase. Two different products are available—one containing only the video and the other containing the video plus the complete regional and national problems, including applicable confidential information. Use these videos to help your team prepare for the competition or as a demonstration of effective techniques. Tell me more about purchasing Law Student Division Competition Videos

The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) typically takes place the first or second weekend in March, August and November. The March and November dates can overlap some of the Law Student Division competition dates. Future 2009 dates are Friday, August 7 and Saturday, November 7. The 2010 dates will not be finalized until mid to late July 2009. Competitors who plan to take the MPRE should be aware of the potential for date conflicts in March and November.

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