Baylor Law Moot Court Program Ranked Among Top 5 Best in Nation

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The Interscholastic Moot Court Program at Baylor Law School, ranked fifth best in the country, will take part in the Andrews Kurth Moot Court National Championship in Houston. Only the top 16 schools in the country compete in the national championship, which will be held in January and is sponsored by Andrews Kurth LLP and the University of Houston Law Center.

Baylor Law Professor Larry Bates says the top five ranking is significant because it judges performance throughout the year.

"Under the scoring system, this was our best year in program history, reflecting not just our success in a few competitions, but our consistent success throughout the entire year in competition after competition," he said.

Most schools use third-year law students for advocacy teams, but Bates pointed out that the majority of Baylor Law teams are made up of second-year law students. Baylor Law third years must take the highly demanding Practice Court program, which leaves them little time for advocacy competitions.

"Baylor Law students love advocacy and receive unmatched instruction and training in the art of advocacy during all their time at Baylor Law. We are thrilled with the top five ranking, but we also believe that this ranking is something that just flows from the excellence of our program," said Baylor Law Dean Brad Toben.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, classified as such with "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions.

ABOUT THE BAYLOR SCHOOL OF LAW
Established in 1849, Baylor Law School was the first law school in Texas and one of the first west of the Mississippi River. Today, the school has more than 7,000 living alumni. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.
Baylor Law School has a record of producing outstanding lawyers, many of whom decide on a career in public service. The Law School boasts two Texas governors, members or former members of the U.S. Congress and U.S. Senate, two former directors of the FBI, ambassadors, federal judges, justices of the Texas Supreme Court and members of the Texas Legislature among its notable alumni.
In its law specialties rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Baylor Law's trial advocacy program as the third best in the nation. Baylor Law School is ranked No. 56 in the magazine's 2012 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools."