BAILIFF INSTRUCTIONS

Transcription

1 BAILIFF INSTRUCTIONS THE MOOT COURT PROBLEM In a moot court competition, two teams comprised of two competitors present individual appellate oral arguments to a panel of two to three judges (which is comprised of volunteer attorneys and judges). One team presents arguments on behalf of one party to the mock lawsuit and the other team presents arguments on behalf of the opposing party. The mock lawsuit this year involves Child Welfare and Parental Disability The moot court teams will present arguments on these issues to the moot court judges, who will rate the competitors based on their advocacy skills and the quality of their arguments. Bailiffs will be present in the hearing rooms to time the competitors arguments and ensure the judges ballots are completed properly. PRE-COMPETITION A training video for bailiffs will be available online at the bailiff webpage ( before the competition, along with copies of all the forms you will need for bailiffing. Please review the video and the documents prior to the competition. Please contact Fawn Gadel immediately if you are not able to bailiff as scheduled. Phone: fgadel@law.capital.edu DAY OF COMPETITION Please plan to arrive at the competition minutes prior to the round you are bailiffing. Directions and parking information is provided at the end of this document. - Friday: Friday s rounds are held at the Ohio Statehouse. You will need to enter the Statehouse through the main entrance on the Third Street side of the Building. Follow signs to the Atrium. Please check in at the table marked Bailiffs. - Saturday: Saturday s rounds are held at the Supreme Court of Ohio. Stop at the security desk to check in. Then proceed to Room 109 at the right end of the long hall.

2 BEFORE THE ARGUMENT Upon checking in, you will receive a folder with ballots for the judges and a bailiff worksheet for you, a stopwatch, and pre-printed time cards. You will be assigned to a hearing room. Go to that room and locate the competitors. There will be a Petitioner Team (composed of two students) and a Respondent Team (composed of two students). Write the names of the competitors on the judges ballots located in your folder in the appropriate boxes (i.e., write the name of the first speaker for the Petitioner s side in the box indicated for #1 Petitioner). Ask the competitors how they are going to allocate their speaking time. Each team gets 30 minutes total for their two speakers. The team can divide the time between the two speakers however they see fit, so long as no single speaker talks for more than 17 total minutes. The Petitioner Team gets the chance for rebuttal after both sides present their main arguments. Ask the Petitioner Team which speaker will be doing rebuttal and how much time they will take for rebuttal. The rebuttal time is part of the entire 30 minutes the team gets for that round. Record all of this information on your bailiff worksheet. Inform the teams that you will wait outside the room for the judges to arrive. Once the judges arrive, record the names of the judges on your bailiff worksheet in the appropriate space. Give each judge a ballot (that you have already filled out the team numbers/names for). When the judges are ready to enter the room, READ ALOUD the Call of Court at the top of your bailiff worksheet. DURING THE ARGUMENTS Sit at the front of the room, off to the side so the judges and participants can see you. If a judge has a question or needs to recuse him/herself, please notify an NCALP staff member. Hold up the time cards (they will say 10, 5, 3, 1, and STOP) indicating how much time a team speaker has left to argue within the specified allotment of time they designated at the beginning of the round. When time has expired, STAND with the STOP card in your hands. DO NOT SPEAK. The judges may, in their discretion, grant additional time. This additional time is NOT deducted from a team s total 30 minute allocation. AFTER THE ARGUMENTS Escort the competitors and all spectators from the room while judges complete their scoring. Be sure to tell the competitors that they will be able to return to the room to

3 receive their critique from the judges. Wait outside the room (with the competitors) until the judges are finished scoring their ballots. Once the judges are finished, enter the room and collect the ballots. Scan over the ballots to make sure that the judges have scored each category within the minimum and maximum limits on the ballot. After collecting the ballots, inform the competitors and spectators they may enter the room for the judges critique. Put the ballots in the folder along with your bailiff worksheet and return everything to the same place you received it (either the Atrium or Room 109). EVENT SCHEDULE Friday March 10 th The Ohio Statehouse 8:00-9:30 Bye Round 10:30 12:00 Round 1 1:15 2:45 Round 2 3:30 5:00 Round 3 Saturday March 11 th The Ohio Judicial Center, Home of the Supreme Court of Ohio 9:00 10:30 Round 4 11:00 12:30 Quarterfinals/Round 5 1:30 3:00 Semifinals/Round 6 3:15 5:00 Final Round COMPETITION LOCATIONS Friday Rounds: The Ohio Statehouse Columbus, Ohio The Ohio Statehouse is located in the center of downtown Columbus, at the corner of Broad and High Streets Driving Directions From the North: Take I-71 south to the I-670 Convention Center exit. Stay in the left lane on I-670. Exit at Third Street (one-way south). Begin to merge right after crossing Long Street. Stay right and cross Broad Street. Capitol Square is on the right side of Third Street in the first block past Broad Street.

4 From the South: Take I-71 (merges with I-70 east). Exit at Fourth Street. Turn right (north, one-way) onto Fourth Street and stay in the left lane. Turn left (west) onto State Street. Capitol Square is on the right side of the street after you cross Third Street. From the East: Take I-70 west. Exit at Fourth Street. Turn left on Broad Street. Turn left on Third Street (one way south). Capitol Square is on the right side of the street in the first block past Broad Street. From the West: Take I-70 east to I-670 east. Exit onto Third Street (one way south). Begin to merge right after crossing Long Street. Follow Third Street across Broad Street and stay right. Capitol Square is on the right side of the street in the first block past Broad Street. Parking Information: Statehouse Underground Parking Garage Saturday Rounds: The Supreme Court of Ohio at the Ohio Judicial Center 65 South Front Street Columbus, Ohio Driving Directions From the North: Take 71-S to I-670 (exit 109A); go west and follow to Third Street (exit 4B). Take Third Street about five blocks to State Street. Turn right onto State Street. Follow State Street two blocks to Front Street. Turn right onto Front Street. The Ohio Judicial Center will be on the left side of Front Street. From the South: Take 71-N to 70-E. Stay on the right. Exit at Front Street/High Street (exit 100A). Turn left onto Front Street. The Ohio Judicial Center is about five blocks on the left. From the East: Take 70-W to 71-N (exit 101A); exit immediately at Broad Street (exit 108B). Take Broad Street to Third Street. Turn left onto Third Street. Follow Third Street for one block to State Street. Turn right onto State Street. At second light, turn right onto Front Street. The Ohio Judicial Center will be on the left side of Front Street. From the West: Take 70-E to the Front Street/High Street exit (exit 100A). Turn left onto Front Street. The Ohio Judicial Center is about five blocks on the left. Parking Information Parking is available in the LeVeque Tower Parking Garage, on Front Street just north of the Ohio Judicial Center, with entrances on Front Street and Gay Street.

5 Visitors can also park in the Huntington Center Garage by turning right onto Capital Street from the far right lane of Front Street and then turning right immediately into the garage.