LMC Tryouts 

For the tryout, applicants prepare a 2 minute oral argument on ANY topic of their choosing. The argument can be academic, comedic, or informative. People are encouraged to think outside the box and use their time to show our team who you are. Here are some potential topics to get your thoughts racing:

 

“The criminal justice system fails in its attempt to rehabilitate offenders”

 

“Spongebob Squarepants is the greatest TV show of all time”

 

“Laurier should open a second Starbucks on campus”

 

Although the topic choice is very flexible, an applicant's time frame is not. Mooting requires an excellent sense of time management. Therefore, we insist that applicants use all of their allotted time without surpassing the 2 minute limit. 

 

In addition to the 2 minute oral argument, one member of the hiring panel will ask a question or two about your topic after you present, so make sure you know what you’re talking about!

 

The point of the tryout is to gauge people’s abilities in the skills they’ll be using in moot court competitions. Once admitted, we teach the fundamentals of mooting and how to use these skills in competition. 

 

Applicants are evaluated in the tryout based on the following criteria: 

• Creativity 

• The structure and strength of the argument 

• How they relate evidence to the argument 

• Public speaking skills (including tone, pace, and eye contact) 

• Professionalism 

• Answering questions directly​