Moot courts at the University of Virginia School of Law records

In 1844, students at the University of Virginia School of Law created a moot court. The following excerpt from the University’s 1845-1846 catalog described how it functioned:

“A moot-court is instituted in connexion with the school, upon a plan conforming minutely to the organization of the courts of the country, the exercises of which are directed, under the immediate superintendency of the Professor, with a view to familiarize the student with the practical details of his profession. His opinion is required upon supposed cases; he is called upon to devise and to institute remedies, by suit or otherwise, to conduct suits at law, and in chancery, from their inception through all their stages, to draw wills, conveyances and assurances; and, in short, to discharge most of the functions devolving upon a practitioner of the law.”

The nineteenth-century moot court strove to simulate the real courts as much as possible. The School of Law appointed students to mock offices and required them to produce simulated records, including fine books, court minutes, and summons. In 1877, the moot court opened its own library, and the student appointed as the court clerk served as the librarian.

By the 1913-1914 school year, the moot court had ceased to exist at the University of Virginia. However, in 1928, the University's Law Club instituted a new moot court competition, which continued until 1941. In 1948, it resumed as a voluntary extra-curricular activity.

Since 1948, the competition, now called the William Minor Lile Moot Court Competition, has been held annually at the Law School. Participating students are eligible for prizes and may also represent the University of Virginia at regional, national, and international competitions.