Why should I get coaching?
Coaching is not essential to compete in Moot Court. But if you want to do well––to skip the years of mediocrity and start understanding the event the way the advanced competitors do––coaching is a must. We help competitors at every stage. If you’re just starting, coaching helps you grasp the fundamentals and avoid pitfalls that almost every novice makes. Instead of tripping your way around the event for the first couple of years, we can guide you to becoming a top competitor in a matter of a few tournaments. 
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If you’ve been around for a while, we’ll take you from being able to consistently win rounds to being able to consistently win tournaments. There's a lot to Moot Court, and we're excited to teach you the secrets to becoming a National-level champion.

Is the coach familiar with the packet?
‍Absolutely. In fact, this year’s packet was co-authored by me (Ethan), so I’ll be extremely familiar with the packet. We typically offer free sample cases (drafted by a Blackstone coach) as well. At almost every point in the year (including Nationals) the coach is more familiar with the packet and caselaw than the student.

Will I have to reach out to a coach?
‍No, a coach will get in contact with you once you’ve paid the invoice. The coach will ask about your availability and you’ll set up a date and time.

Am I guaranteed the coach I requested?
‍If you indicated on the form that you only are willing to work with one coach, we’ll honor that request. If you simply indicate a preference for a specific coach, it is not guaranteed, though we will do our best to honor that. 

Where will coaching sessions happen?
‍Coaching can happen over any medium: Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, etc. We’ll assume Meet unless you ask for a different platform.

What will we do during the sessions?
‍It depends on the time of year. Early on, we'll help you learn caselaw and master the knowledge side of Moot. Later on, we'll practice asking tough questions and give you feedback on answers. However, we're flexible. Tell us what you want to do and we'll work with you.

Can my partner be on the call with me?
Absolutely! If your parent or your partner desires to be on the call with you, there is no extra charge. They can even tune in remotely without an extra charge. Of course, this also means that you’ll each get less individual work.

Can I cancel once I’ve registered?
‍We totally understand if you have a legitimate reason to cancel. Just email us and we’ll get it all sorted out.

If I have something come up last minute, can I reschedule my session?
‍Unlike other places that are scrambling to get your money, we’re flexible with rescheduling: if you reschedule at least 12 hours before your session, we can find a makeup date at no extra cost. If it is outside of that window, we’ll have to charge you to compensate coaches for their time. If you’ve purchased a package deal and need to change one meeting day, figure out makeup dates with your coach. In general, we recommend weekly sessions so that we can consistently build on the progress you’ll be making.

Do you offer non-Moot Court coaching?
‍Blackstone operates as a Moot Court-focused organization. However, the coaches also work as debate coaches (Patrick in TP, Ethan in LD), and we'd be happy to assist. It may be helpful to have one coach for all of your forensics events, so if you’re interested in receiving coaching in any of those events, email us and we’ll get you set up with a coach.