Skip to Main Content

The University of Tennessee

Enter the name of your College, Department, or Unit Here

Frequently Used Tools:



Academics » Co-Curricular Programs



Co-Curricular Programs

The Tennessee Law Review

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 Board is responsible for organizing the College of Law’s intramural competitions as well as for coordinating the interscholastic teams.  The Board sponsors two intramural competitions each year -- the Advocates’ Prize Moot Court Competition and the Ray H. Jenkins Trial Competition. Advocates’ Prize is an appellate competition that is supported by a generous gift from a friend of the College of Law. The 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 both intramural competitions.

The interscholastic teams travel all over the country to compete against teams from other law schools. Appellate teams brief and argue issues in various areas of the law, while trial teams examine witnesses and argue evidentiary issues. The College of Law has a tradition of excellence in both regional and national competitions.  Teams from the College of Law have won national championships in the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers' Trial Competition (1991), the Dean Jerome Prince Memorial Evidence Competition (2001, 2000 & 1993), the National Moot Court Competition of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York (National Champions 1977 & 1982), and the Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Intellectual Property Law Competition (2010).

The teams sponsored by the College of Law vary from year to year according to student interest. In 2009-2010, the College of Law fielded teams in eleven competitions:

  • ABA Representation in Mediation Moot Court Competition
  • AAJ National Student Trial Advocacy Competition (2010 Regional Runner-up)
  • TYLA National Trial Competition
  • Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition (2010 Regional Sweet Sixteen)
  • National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition
  • National First Amendment Moot Court Competition
  • Dean Jerome Prince Memorial Evidence Moot Court Competition
  • Phillip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition
  • NYC Bar National Moot Court Competition
  • Saul Lefkowitz Trademark Moot Court Competition
  • Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Intellectual Property Moot Court Competition (2010 National Champions)

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

  • Be a registered student in good academic standing at the College of Law who has completed one year of legal education; and
  • Demonstrate proficiency and dedication in advocacy by:
  • Representing UT on an interscholastic Moot Court or Mock Trial team;
  • Participating either the Advocates’ Prize Competition or the Jenkins Trial Competition;
  • Reaching the Final Round in the 1L Advocacy Idol Competition; OR
  • Meeting other criteria as determined by the Board.

Participation in moot court activities is the most effective means of developing the written and oral advocacy skills that will be invaluable in your legal careers, no matter the area in which you choose to practice. Students are invited to participate in all Board-sponsored activities.