A LONG TRADITION
The government contracts moot court competition is a long-standing tradition at GW Law, spanning back over 20 years. Once known as the McKenna, Long, and & Aldridge “Gilbert A. Cuneo” Government Contracts Moot Court Competition, the competition is open to second- and third-year J.D. students and LL.M. students. The namesake of the competition, Gilbert A. Cuneo, was a trailblazer in the field of government contracts, having founded the government contracts practice at the law firm of McKenna, Long, & Aldridge, established the Public Contract Law Section of the American Bar Association, and served as a former board of contract appeals judge.
The students work in pairs, write an appellate brief, and prepare an oral argument in a mock government contracts appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Since 2019, the competition has been sponsored by the law firm of Arnold & Porter. Thanks to the generosity of Arnold & Porter, the winners of the competition and individual categories receive cash prizes. The best briefs of the competition are published in the Public Contract Law Journal.
THE CLASS: LAW 6515
To compete, students must sign up for the government contracts moot court class, LAW 6515, a two-credit pass/fail course taught each spring by Professor Victoria Christoff and Professor Nicole Williamson. The course satisfies the experiential credit for the J.D. Concentration in Government Procurement Law.
Throughout the semester, students learn about appellate advocacy, writing, process, and procedure. Students also get substantive speaking and writing experience. Each week, students present an oral argument and receive feedback on their briefs from their professors and fellow classmates.
THE ARNOLD & PORTER GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS MOOT COURT COMPETITION
The Preliminary Round
The competition is based on mock problem written by the student competition co-chairs. The procedural posture of the problem changes each year. The problem and the best briefs of the competition are published in Public Contract Law Journal.
At the beginning of the spring semester, students are paired into teams. Each team will be assigned an “on-brief” position, either as the appellant or the appellee, for which they are responsible for writing an appellate brief and preparing a 30-minute appellate argument, 15 minutes per individual. Each team is also tasked with preparing a 30-minute appellate argument for the opposing party, which is referred to as their “off-brief” position. Students do not write an appellate brief for their “off-brief” position. Students are responsible with working with their teammate to prepare their brief and arguments outside of class.
At the end of March, the students compete in the two-day preliminary round. This event is held at the GW Law School, where they argue their on-brief and off-brief arguments in front of seasoned practitioners from private practice, the government, and other organizations, such as the World Bank, the judiciary, and boards of contract appeals. Students also attend a networking lunch during the preliminary rounds, where they connect with the judges in a relaxed setting.
The Final Round
The top two teams advance to the final round, which is traditionally held at the Federal Circuit. The students argue before a panel of federal judges, generally from the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the Boards of Contract Appeals, and/or the Federal Circuit. The final round is open to the public.
Following the final round, the law firm of Arnold & Porter sponsors a reception where students network with Arnold & Porter attorneys, GW Law faculty and staff, and other government procurement practitioners. At the reception, winners in various other categories are announced, including the best briefs and best oral advocate. Each winner receives a cash prize and the winners of the brief categories will have their briefs published in the Public Contract Law Journal.
