It’s that time of year again! The Southern Regional of this year’s AIPLA Giles Rich Moot Court Competition will be held on March 19-21, 2010 in Houston. For those of you not familiar with the competition, the AIPLA Giles Rich Moot Court Competition, now in its 37th year, is named for a member of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit who was the most distinguished jurist in the field of patent law in the world. If you are able to volunteer as a brief grader, oral argument judge, or bailiff, or have any questions about the competition, please contact Norma Bennett, AIPLA Southern Regional Director, at normabennett@sbcglobal.net or 281-797-7403 or Larissa Piccardo, HIPLA Committee Chair at larissa.piccardo@bakerbotts.com or 713-229-1465.

The 2010 Giles Rich Moot Court Competition is divided into four regional competitions followed by a national competition among the top two teams from each region. The regional competitions will be held in Houston, Silicon Valley, Chicago, and Boston on March 19-21, 2010. The National Finals will take place in Washington, DC at the Federal Circuit on April 21-23, 2010.

Just as we do every year, we’re looking for folks to act as brief graders, oral argument judges, and bailiffs for the oral arguments in support of the Southern Regional. As many of you can attest to, a great time is had by all. The positions we need filled have something for everyone. Brief grading is great for those who want to help out but who don’t want leave the comfort of their own homes. As a brief grader, you can sit by a roaring fire (perhaps during our next snowstorm), sip a beverage of your choice, and read a few briefs implicating some of the current IP topics of the day. If you decide to grade briefs, each brief grader will be responsible for grading no more than five briefs. Briefs along with grading sheets, competition rules, and a bench memo will be sent to you no later than Feb. 10th, with grades due by Mar. 8th.

For those who appreciate a good argument and enjoy assisting law students in refining their advocacy skills, oral argument judging is for you. You’ll be provided with the problem and a bench brief so that you can prepare for judging. And finally, for those of you who don’t want to be a judge but want to watch the arguments anyway, being a bailiff is for you. Bailiffs keep time for the participants and announce the arrival of the judges. Bailiffs don’t need to be attorneys.

As an added incentive, all brief graders, oral argument judges, and bailiffs are invited to a reception sponsored by HIPLA immediately after the first round of competition on Friday, Mar. 19th. More details on the time and location of the reception to follow.

The top two teams from the regional go on to the national competition in Washington DC to argue in front of the Federal Circuit. Teams from the Southern Regional have taken either 1st or 2nd place at Nationals each of the last seven years. It's your participation that has made this possible. So, let’s keep the tradition going!