History
The Order of Barristers originated in 1965 at The University of Texas at Austin School of Law. The purpose was to honor graduating seniors who had demonstrated outstanding ability in preparing and presenting moot appellate arguments. These students were selected by the Faculty Committee on Legal Research and Writing and the Director of the Moot Court Program.
The Order continued as a local honorary society until 1968, when the administrators of The Order initiated plans for expansion on a national basis. The law schools in the thirteen regions represented at the National Moot Court Competition were contacted, and a favorable response to expansion was received. The Order was officially established as a national organization in 1970. A Constitution was adopted, and The University of Texas at Austin School of Law was elected Permanent Secretary on December 16, 1970, at the initial meeting of the Board of Governors during the final round of the National Moot Court Competition in New York City.
During the spring of 1971, several schools submitted applications for membership, and the current roll boasts over 100 law school chapters nationwide. Schools with chapters in the Order include those nationally recognized for outstanding moot court programs and successful participation in regional, national, and international interscholastic moot court competitions.
Eligibility
All students graduating in 1) December of the present school year; or 2) May of the present school year are eligible to apply. The applicant must be in good academic, disciplinary, and financial standing with the University of Miami School of Law.
Selection Criteria
The Order of Barristers recognizes outstanding student achievements in six areas.
- Membership in interscholastic teams;
- Participation in tryouts for interscholastic teams;
- Participation and performance in intramural competitions;
- Participation and performance in the administration of the School's moot court and mock trial programs;
- Participation and performance in a teaching program for brief writing and/or oral advocacy skills to other law students;
- Performance record in the School's brief writing and/or oral advocacy courses.
Limitation & Requirements
The Constitution of the National Order of Barristers limits the number of potential recipients to 10-12. The number of students per year that a school may select for The Order is related to the number of students who participate in the current year in a faculty-supervised and sanctioned advocacy program. The program must include mandatory or voluntary class work involving instruction and practice in both appellate brief writing and appellate oral advocacy, trial brief writing, trial oral advocacy, or both written and oral advocacy in the alternative dispute resolution context. It may also include intramural competitions, interscholastic team tryouts, and participation.
Therefore, not all applicants who qualify and have participated in the advocacy program can be selected. To be considered, all applications must be received by the provided deadline. No late applications will be considered for any reason.
How to Apply?
The Order of Barristers Application form is available each spring.
The Litigation Skills Office will announce the application period by sending information to all students by email and including it in other announcement methods. In addition, the Director of Moot Court Programs will notify current advocacy students of the application process.
Applications must be submitted via electronic mail to litskill@law.miami.edu or by hard copy to the Litigation Skills Office, Room A310.
The selection committee will review the applications and announce the new members in early May. New members will be recognized and may list membership on their resumes.
