ABI and the Walter Shapero Demonstration Round Committee are pleased to announce the 2023 Shapero Cup Regional Moot Court Competition and Demonstration Round (the “Regional”), being held on February 20, 2023, in the U.S. District Courthouse in Detroit.
Following the competition, join the students, coaches and judges for a Demonstration Round featuring the same fact pattern the teams argued earlier in the day, then stay for a reception and awards ceremony to congratulate the participating teams.
Competition
Demonstration Round
Awards Ceremony and Reception
Competition Information
The Regional is scheduled for Monday, February 20, 2023, at the U.S. Bankruptcy Courthouse in Detroit.
Address:
U.S. Bankruptcy Courthouse
211 W Fort St STE 2100,
Detroit, MI 48226
The Regional features law schools from the Sixth Circuit and is partly designed to serve as formal practice for law school teams competing in the Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition (the “Duberstein Competition”), taking place March 4-6, 2023, in New York City. The Regional is not a qualifying event or an elimination round for the Duberstein Competition.
For the Regional, teams do not need to submit briefs. Each team will argue twice in the preliminary rounds, once for the petitioner and once for the respondent. The four teams with the highest average score in the preliminary round will advance to the semifinal round. The winning teams of each semifinal-round argument (based on score) will advance to the final round.
Awards will be presented at the Regional, which will include a trophy for the winning team and best oral advocate. Prominent bankruptcy practitioners will judge the preliminary rounds, and judges will judge the semifinal and final rounds. Teams will receive constructive input from the judges following each round.
Address:
U.S. District Courthouse
231 W. Lafayette Boulevard, Room 115
Detroit, Michigan
Competing Schools
- Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law
- University of Kansas School of Law
- University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law
- University of Michigan Law School
Fees
The Demonstration and Awards Ceremony and Reception require a $25 ticket.
Anti-Harassment Policy
The American Bankruptcy Institute is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery are not appropriate for any conference venue, including talks. Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference without a refund at the discretion of the conference organizers. Our anti-harassment policy can be found at https://www.abi.org/about-us/bylaws-and-policies.
Planning Committee
Rules
A. Qualifications
Any accredited law school located in the Sixth Circuit (Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee) may enter one or two teams to participate in the Regional.
B. Number and Composition of Teams
Each participating school may enter one or two teams in the Regional, composed of two or three students each. All team members must be enrolled at the school that they represent at the time of the competition.
C. Substitution of Team Members
There shall be no substitution of team members after the online registration is completed, except upon written permission from the Regional.
D. Briefs
Unlike the Duberstein Competition, there shall be no brief submissions for the Regional. Competitors are scored on oral advocacy only.
E. Arguments
- In General. Each team will argue in a minimum of two rounds: one argument for the petitioner, and one argument for the respondent. The four teams with the highest scores in the two preliminary rounds will advance to the semifinal round. The two teams with the highest scores in the semifinal round will advance to the final round.
- Pairings of Teams. Pairings in the preliminary rounds will be chosen at random, although efforts will be made to avoid teams from the same law school competing against each other in the preliminary rounds.
- Time and Place. The Regional will take place on February 20, 2023, at the U.S. Bankruptcy Courthouse in Detroit. Free parking for teams attending the competition will be located at Park Rite, 222 W. Lafayette, Detroit, MI 48226. Team members should use their credit cards to access the parking lot. Vouchers will be available at the Awards Reception that will allow team members to exit the parking lot free of charge.
F. Announcement of the Winning Team
The winner of the Regional will be announced at the Awards Ceremony after the Demonstration Round.
G. Scoring
The scores for each round will be based solely on oral argument. Scoring is calculated on a scale of 50-100, with 100 being the highest possible score.
H. Best Oral Advocate
The competitor with the highest mean (average) score for oral argument will be chosen as the best oral advocate. The winner of the Best Oral Advocate Award will be announced at the Awards Ceremony. In order to qualify for the Best Oral Advocate Award, an advocate must argue a minimum of two times; if a competitor argues more than twice, then the average of that competitor’s top two scores will be used to calculate the competitor’s score for purposes of determining the best oral advocate.
I. Attending Other Arguments
No team member, coach or faculty adviser of a team participating in the Regional may attend an argument of any other team during the preliminary rounds. The number of attendees to each preliminary-round argument is limited to the competing team members, their families, two coaches or two faculty advisors per team, and members of the Regional planning committee. All participants are encouraged to attend the semifinal- and final-round arguments.
J. Communication During a Round
There shall be no communication in any form from any member of the audience, including other team members sitting in the audience, once a round has begun.
K. Penalties/Rule Amendments
- The Regional may assess such penalties, including disqualification, as it deems reasonable and appropriate for any failure to comply with the foregoing rules. Any decisions, penalties or other actions taken by the Regional will be final and binding on all participants.
- The Regional reserves the right to make and implement any further rules and procedures deemed advisable for the conduct of this event.