Mooting

What is mooting?

A ‘moot’ is designed as a mock hearing designed to replicate appellate advocacy in the Court of Appeal or Supreme Court, where students attempt to vocalise a persuasive and coherent legal argument in response to a set of facts presented utilising case law, statutes and general principles of law

Comprising two opposing teams of two members, students will represent either the Appellants or Respondents.  They will attempt to put forward the strongest submissions possible in order to persuade the Judge that they should find in favour of their particular side in the matter.

Participation in mooting is the paradigm legal extra-curricular activity providing the opportunity to put into practice all the principles and skills learned in the classroom whilst being challenging and exhilarating and providing an insight as to whether a career in advocacy is potentially for them.

It can be nerve-wracking, particularly the first time in front of a Judge, but it is also incredibly rewarding to be told that your argument is sound and well presented.

Hertfordshire Law School boasts a large mooting community, with students from across the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes taking part in both the internal Law School competition and external national and international competitions each year.

Taught by our highly experienced tutors,  advocates themselves, mooting prepares our students for practice, and makes them better law students while at university.

In addition, mooting at Hertfordshire is expanding opportunities for student involvement this year, with the addition of a student mooting committee.

Winning competitions in mooting

This year, the Hertfordshire Law School expanded its presence in the national and international sphere by taking part in the ESU-Essex Court National Moot alongside the Thomas Finlay Memorial Moot in Dublin and the Jessup International Law Moot, the largest moot competition in the world.

The expanded presence of Hertfordshire in external competitions looks to build on previous success the school has had, which has included:

• Winning the ESU/Essex Court Chambers National Mooting Competition in 2008
• Runners-up in the OUP/BPP Mooting Competition in 2009
• Third highest score in the Commonwealth Mooting Competition, for which our students travelled to Hong Kong in 2009 to represent the UK
• Thomas A. Finlay Inter-Varsity Moot Competition 2018

Our success in these competitions means that the University provides our students with an excellent platform from which to build their future careers.

Industry exposure

Alongside the practical and academic benefits of participating in mooting, it is also a great way to meet members of the legal profession and our students have met through mooting, amongst others:

• The Lord Chief Justice
• The Master of the Rolls
• The head of the Bar Council
• The head of Commercial Bar Association
• The head of Chancery Bar Association

This has also led to our students gaining valuable work experience with solicitors, barristers and members of the judiciary.