Co-Curricular Programs

The Tennessee Law Review is a journal of legal scholarship published by students of The University of Tennessee College of Law. This quarterly publication includes articles by professors, practitioners, and students, and it covers topics of interest to scholars and practitioners alike. The Tennessee Law Review receives more than 750 unsolicited articles annually. Student articles editors and professors review these articles and make recommendations to the editor in chief as to which articles would be most helpful and interesting to readers. Subscribers to the Tennessee Law Review include lawyers, judges, and libraries across the nation and around the world.

For selection to the Tennessee Law Review, students must first pass a rigorous technical examination of their proficiency in the citation of legal authority. Members must then write a case note of publishable quality that analyzes a recent case of legal significance. Finally, members participate in a training program designed to familiarize them with the workings of the Tennessee Law Review prior to the commencement of their membership. The Tennessee Law Review offers membership strictly based on competence and proficiency; there is no target number or limit on the number of new members accepted each year.

Members assist in every phase of the editing and preparation of articles for publication. Second-year members check articles for technical and legal accuracy under the guidance of third-year editors. Third-year members continue this participation in article preparation while either (1) writing another article of publishable quality or (2) serving as an editor. This two-year commitment demonstrates dedication to the field of law and an advanced ability to write, research, and manage time efficiently. For these reasons, membership on the Tennessee Law Review is viewed as particularly desirable by potential employers, from small law firms to state and federal judges seeking judicial clerks.

The Tennessee Law Review conducts a candidacy program each April through July for current students. The majority of students will enter the candidacy program at the end of their first year. Students planning to pursue joint degrees must inquire further as to the timing of their applications; a detailed explanation of this policy is available in the Law Review Office. Please note: students may enter the candidacy program only once. Questions should be directed to the offices of the Tennessee Law Review. Business Manager Micki Fox can answer many questions; otherwise, she will direct questions to the managing editor or the editor in chief.

The offices of the Tennessee Law Review are located in Room 337 of the Library Classroom Wing.


Moot Court Program

The University of Tennessee College of Law Moot Court program has a tradition of excellence in regional and national competitions. Teams from the college have won the 1993 Jerome Prince Evidence Competition, the 1991 National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers' Trial Competition, and the National Moot Court Competition of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York twice.

The College's Moot Court Board is comprised of second- and third-year students who have demonstrated excellence in the College's Moot Court programs. The board is responsible for organizing the College's intramural competitions as well as coordinating the interscholastic teams.

The Moot Court Board sponsors two intramural competitions each spring -- the Advocates Prize Moot Court Competition and the Jenkins Trial Competition. The Advocates Prize is an appellate competition which is supported by a generous gift from a friend of the law school. The Ray. H. Jenkins Trial competition honors the memory of a prestigious member of the Knoxville bar and is supported by the law firm of Jenkins and Jenkins. Any second- or third-year student may participate in these intramural competitions.

The College also sponsors several teams that travel to national competitions to compete against other law schools. These teams brief and argue issues in various areas of the law. The teams vary from year to year according to student interest. During 1995-96, the College of Law fielded moot court teams in the National Moot Court Competition and Labor, Constitutional Law, National Trial, and NACDL Criminal Trial competitions.

The Moot Court Board amended its by-laws concerning eligibility for membership. These criteria only effect membership on the board and are wholly independent from the requirements to compete on a travelling team.

To be eligible for membership on the Moot Court Board, a student must:

1. Be a registered student in good academic standing at the UT College of Law who has completed one year of legal education; and

2. Demonstrate proficiency and dedication in Moot Court by:

a. Representing UT on an interscholastic Moot Court team, or

b. Progressing beyond the preliminary rounds of the Advocate's Prize Competition, or

c. Progressing to the quarterfinal round of the Ray H. Jenkins Trial Competition, or

d. Participating in both the Advocate's Prize Competition and the Jenkins Trial Competition, or

e. Other criteria determined by the Board.

Participation in Moot Court Board-sponsored activities is the most effective means of developing the written and oral advocacy skills that will be invaluable to you in the legal profession regardless of one's area of practice. Students are invited to participate in any or all of the board-sponsored activities.