Wednesday, September 18, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Seattle, Washington | $675

The National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges and the American Bankruptcy Institute are pleased to offer an intensive, full-day Appellate Advocacy Skills Workshop designed to hone appellate advocacy skills, including writing, oral presentation and strategy.

Moot Court Theme

Mock appeal from a simulated trial court decision under Subchapter V of Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. Participants will not be permitted to conduct independent research or comment on law or facts not included in the mock appeal materials.

Writing Skills

• Participants will be assigned the role of appellant or appellee and must write an argument that may not exceed five pages using 14-point font, double spacing and Bluebook citation format.
• The scope of research is limited to four cases and a fact pattern that will be provided to participants not later than July 26, 2024.
• The written argument must be submitted not later than August 15, 2024.
• Experienced appellate judges will review the written submissions and offer suggestions, guidance and tips for improvement in small group meetings on September 18.

Oral Advocacy Skills

• Program leaders will divide participants into teams of two and assign the role of appellant or appellee. Each team will argue the case twice: once as the appellant and once as the appellee. Fifteen minutes will be allotted to each team. Appellant may reserve time for rebuttal.
• Oral argument will take place in the United States Court House, 700 Stewart Street, Seattle, Washington.
• Participants will be recorded.
• Experienced appellate judges will offer suggestions, guidance and tips for improvement on oral advocacy, including strategy, responsiveness to questions and general presentation.

Applications

• A completed application form with resume and cover letter must be submitted by email to appellateskills@ncbj.org no later than Friday, June 14, 2024.
• Workshop is limited to 16 attorneys – preference given to newer attorneys with little or no appellate advocacy experience.
• Applicants selected to participate will be notified by email on or before June 30, 2024. Selected participants must attend a mandatory Zoom meeting (scheduled at a later date) during which program leaders will outline expectations and participants may ask questions.
• Selected participants should plan to arrive in Seattle on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, because the Appellate Skills Workshop will start at 8:00 a.m. on September 18, 2024.
• Program participants must be registered for the NCBJ ’24 conference no later than July 31, 2024.

September 18, 2024 Schedule

8:00-8:45 am	Light breakfast for all participants and judges and introductory remarks
9:00 am	First round of arguments begins. Odd-numbered teams will argue for the appellant and even-numbered teams will argue for the appellee
9:30 am	Judges provide comments on first-round arguments
10:15 am	Break; participant teams rotate to new panels of judges
10:30 am	Second round of arguments begins. Even-numbered teams will argue for the appellant and odd-numbered teams will argue for the appellee
11:00 am	Judges provide comments on the second-round arguments
11:45 am	Break for lunch
1:30 pm	Discussion of written work begins
3:00 pm	Closing remarks and social gathering