Empty formal courtroom with a wooden judge's bench and tall arched windows

Global Moot Court Championship

Global Moot Court
Championship

Led by Harvard student mentors

Six weeks online that carry students from foundational legal theory to high-stakes courtroom advocacy, in a knockout format judged by legal experts and mentors.

New to moot court? Read how it works first.

Starts 23 January 2027
Saturdays · 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM EDT
Grades 8 to 12
Live judged rounds

Apply Now Book a Meeting

Tournament PathGrades 8 to 12Sessions 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM EDT

Entry FeeUSD 100USD 80 Early Bird

Weeks 1 to 3Foundations, Research & Memorial
Week 4Team Integration & Practice Round
Week 5Knockout Rounds
Week 6Semifinals, The Final & Closing

5 Winning Teams · USD 500 Prize PoolChosen by the judge and mentor panels

Certificate & feedback

Moot courtroom bench with a gavel and stacked legal texts

About the Competition

An immersive training ground, theory to advocacy.

The Global Moot Court Championship is a 6-week online moot court competition and an intensive training ground designed to move aspiring legal professionals from foundational theory to high-stakes courtroom advocacy. Over six weeks, participants work through core legal disciplines including IP, tort, contract and constitutional law, alongside emerging technical frontiers like AI ethics and algorithmic hallucination.

Competitors then become active strategists by mastering Alternative Dispute Resolution, building rigorous case briefs and drafting formal written memorials. After a guided practice round, the program culminates in a high-pressure knockout tournament spanning the Knockout Rounds and Semifinals, where students face sharp judicial questioning and demanding rebuttal rounds. Judged by seasoned legal experts and mentors, it tests the limits of legal research, critical thinking, written persuasion and oral advocacy, and crowns its champions in a final showcase.

The Curriculum

Four weeks of preparation.
Two weeks of competition.

Weeks 1 to 3 build the legal foundation and case file. Week 4 brings teams together for a guided practice round, Week 5 runs the knockout rounds, and Week 6 holds the semifinals on Saturday and the Final on Sunday.

Weekly live sessions, Saturdays (Week 6: Saturday and Sunday), 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM EDT

Foundation

Advocacy

Preparation

Tournament

Week 1 · Sat 23 JanFoundation

Legal Basics, Foundational Domains & AI Challenges

Students learn what law is, how courts and legal roles work, and how to turn a problem statement into a structured legal position, alongside a primer on the legal fields and AI questions behind the competition propositions.

What Does a Lawyer Actually Do?
Approaching a Problem Statement / Case at Hand
Finding the Legal Issue and the Relevant Law
Building the Argument & Initial Case Strategy
IP, tort, contract and constitutional law fundamentals
Artificial Intelligence & Ethics: AI mechanics, hallucination and legal-practice dilemmas

Outcome: Full familiarity with the terminology and technical language needed for the competition propositions

The Prize

A USD 500 prize pool.
Five winning teams will be chosen.

Out of every team that enters, five winning teams will be selected by the judge and mentor panels, sharing a total prize pool of USD 500 and crowned at the Final & Closing ceremony on 28 February.

01Winning Team

02Winning Team

03Winning Team

04Winning Team

05Winning Team

How the USD 500 prize pool is shared among the five teams, along with further recognition, will be announced soon.

Competition Themes

Propositions at the edge of law and technology.

Each proposition is drawn from one of these four themes. Full problem statements go only to registered teams.

Theme 01

Generative AI, Copyright & Fair Use

Where copyright law meets generative models, and how the limits of fair use are tested when machines create.

Theme 02

Trade Secrets, AI Hallucinations & Data Privacy

How confidential commercial information and personal data hold up in a world of connected devices and automated systems.

Theme 03

Free Speech, Defamation & Platform Liability

Where protected expression ends, reputational harm begins, and how far an online platform's responsibility reaches.

Theme 04

Consumer Protection, Product Liability & Minor Safety

How the law holds makers and sellers to account for the safety of what they put in the hands of young users.

How Teams Work

Team size and composition.

Students are divided into teams of up to four members (minimum of two). Regardless of team size, all rounds follow a strict two-speaker structure, with remaining members providing strategic support. Before any oral round, every team submits a short written Summary of Arguments, the memorial.

Note: If a team has only 2 members, both will act as speakers and share researcher duties. There is nothing to prevent the judges or bench from posing questions to the Researcher as well.

Illustration of a moot court team preparing a case together

Oral Round · Issue 1

Role 01

Speaker 1

Argues Issue 1 before the bench.

Presents opening submissions on Issue 1
Answers bench questions on the first issue
Delivers rebuttal on Issue 1

Oral Round · Issue 2

Role 02

Speaker 2

Argues Issue 2 before the bench.

Presents submissions on Issue 2
Responds to bench questioning on the second issue
Supports the overall rebuttal strategy

Prep + Oral Support

Role 03

Researcher / Substitute (up to 2 members)

Handles the digital legal code, assists in drafting the written memorial, and notes points for rebuttal.

Manages the digital legal code
Co-drafts the written memorial
Tracks rebuttal points during the round

Meet Your Mentors

Harvard Student Mentors

Tsion Debebe

Harvard University, Class of 2026 · Government (International Relations & Development)

Tsion is a recent 2026 graduate of Harvard University, who majored in Government with a focus in international relations and development. Tsion was involved with her local county in high school, focusing on employment and education policy, as well as a variety of legal non-profits assisting low-income youth with education and employment. Throughout college, Tsion has explored the legal field through coursework and extracurricular activities such as the Black Pre-Law Society, Model Congress, and more.

GovernmentBlack Pre-Law SocietyModel CongressPolicy & Non-profits

Roles Students Rotate Through

Six dimensions of legal work.

Every student experiences the whole of a case, not just one seat at the table.

Research Counsel

Finding and evaluating legal authorities.

Writing / Drafting Counsel

Structuring and drafting the legal argument.

Oral Advocate

Presenting submissions and responding to questions.

Case Strategist

Identifying strengths, weaknesses and priorities.

Negotiator / Mediator

Exploring settlement and managing competing interests.

Evidence Analyst

Organising facts and assessing evidentiary relevance.

Tangible Student Outcomes

It does not end with a certificate alone.

The goal is not to teach law. It is to help students see how law operates and how lawyers think, so they can answer the real question: do they want to build a career in it?

Case Analysis / Case Brief

Ability to organise facts and identify legal issues.

Legal Research Exercise

Ability to find and evaluate legal sources.

Written Legal Argument / Memorial

Ability to structure and support a legal position.

Negotiation Exercise

Understanding of dispute resolution and legal strategy.

Moot Court Submission

Ability to communicate legal reasoning orally.

Moot Feedback Sheet

Evidence of individual strengths and areas for development.

Personal Reflection

Understanding of whether legal work genuinely interests the student, written in their own words at the close of the competition.

Take the first brief.

Places are limited and teams are formed before Week 1. Apply early or book a call to learn more.

Entry FeeUSD 100USD 80 Early Bird

Apply Now Book a Meeting

Global Moot Court
Championship

An immersive training ground, theory to advocacy.

Four weeks of preparation.
Two weeks of competition.

Legal Basics, Foundational Domains & AI Challenges

Legal Basics, Foundational Domains & AI Challenges

Advocacy, ADR & Moot Mechanics

Preparation Week (Building the Case)

Team Integration & Guided Practice Round

Knockout Rounds

Semifinals, The Final & Closing

A USD 500 prize pool.
Five winning teams will be chosen.

Propositions at the edge of law and technology.

Team size and composition.

Speaker 1

Speaker 2

Researcher / Substitute (up to 2 members)

Harvard Student Mentors

Tsion Debebe

Six dimensions of legal work.

It does not end with a certificate alone.

Take the first brief.

Global Moot CourtChampionship

An immersive training ground, theory to advocacy.

Four weeks of preparation.Two weeks of competition.

Legal Basics, Foundational Domains & AI Challenges

Legal Basics, Foundational Domains & AI Challenges

Advocacy, ADR & Moot Mechanics

Preparation Week (Building the Case)

Team Integration & Guided Practice Round

Knockout Rounds

Semifinals, The Final & Closing

A USD 500 prize pool.Five winning teams will be chosen.

Propositions at the edge of law and technology.

Team size and composition.

Speaker 1

Speaker 2

Researcher / Substitute (up to 2 members)

Harvard Student Mentors

Tsion Debebe

Six dimensions of legal work.

It does not end with a certificate alone.

Take the first brief.

Global Moot Court
Championship

Four weeks of preparation.
Two weeks of competition.

A USD 500 prize pool.
Five winning teams will be chosen.