Overview and Deadline
The annual First Amendment and Media Law Diversity Moot Court Competition, now in its 13th year, is designed to introduce minority law students to the practice of media law and to many of the lawyers who are active in the communications law bar. The competition offers cash awards for superior performance in appellate briefing and oral argument.
Deadline: October 15, 2020
Click here to apply for the 2020-2021 competition.
The four finalists in the January 2021 competition will be offered the opportunity of summer employment opportunities with a top law firm, media company, or First Amendment nonprofit, thanks to the generous support of ABA Forum sponsoring organizations.
The moot court hypothetical case will involve timely issues of national significance in the areas effecting communications law. The hypothetical case for the 2019-20 Competition, for example, focused on journalists’ access to interviews in state prisons and a government agency’s retaliatory withdrawal of press credentials. This year’s hypothetical will cover a variety of topics from traditional media law issues to digital media and regulatory advocacy Due to COVID-19, this year’s Forum will be held entirely online via video conference and feature judges that are partners at top law firms, in-house counsel at major media companies and members of the judiciary.