Law students participate in the OUP & the ICCA National Mooting Competition
For the first time, law students at the University of Huddersfield have passed the preliminary assessment of the OUP & the ICCA National Mooting Competition, one of the most prestigious mooting competitions in the UK.
Mooting is the oral presentation of a legal issue or problem against an opposing counsel and a judge. It gives students a chance to experience what it is like to present a case in court. Gaining mooting experience is an invaluable experience as it gives students a chance put their learning into practice and hone their advocacy skills.
Four students represented the University including final-year student Tyler Johnson, second-year student Zaahirah Ahmed, and first-year students Melissa Cheshire and Gurleen Jawanda.
For round one of the competition, the University of Huddersfield will compete against Royal Holloway, the University of London. The moot will take place on 24th November 2022. Students and staff members will eagerly await the results, which will be announced shortly after the moot event with the winner progressing to the second round of the competition. The final of the competition will be held on Wednesday, 8th February 2023 at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.
All four students will be responsible for researching and organising their case, and Tyler and Melissa will present the argument orally before the moot judge(s). Dr Paul Abba, a Senior Lecturer in law at the University and the Director of Mooting, has worked closely with the students developing both the students' research abilities and advocacy skills. Paul will continue to support the students throughout the competition.
Dr Paul Abba said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the students to demonstrate their advocacy skills against students from other top universities around the UK. The students have prepared diligently for this competition and are eagerly looking forward to the opportunity to confidently argue their cases before the court and obtain judgment in their favour. The mooting experience trains the students for life as a Barrister and represents a practical opportunity to imbue vital advocacy skills necessary to excel at the bar.”
Tyler Johnson added: “The mooting competition carries a large amount of pressure, but it is the high stakes that make this competition so prestigious. The mooting programme has been incredibly beneficial, allowing me to interact with both my degree, fellow students, and lectures on a more concentrated level.”
Melissa Cheshire added: “I have had to improve my legal knowledge very quickly, but it has been amazing to be able to actively participate and argue a case in an area of law that I am interested in. I am quite excited about the competition because I expect it to be incredibly challenging, but I am also looking forward to stepping out of my comfort zone and improving my public speaking and presentation skills.”
OUP & the ICCA National Mooting Competition is held yearly, with universities participating from across the UK. The competition was founded in 1998 and has taken place every year for 24 years.
Huddersfield Business School wishes the participants all the best and hopes to see its students thrive throughout the competitions.
Readers can follow the competition’s progress on social media by searching for the hashtag #moot23. To learn more about OUP & the ICCA National Mooting Competition, please visit https://global.oup.com/ukhe/mooting/.
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