Monday 19-10-2020 - 14:25

What is a Moot?

A moot sets out to test one’s ability to make legal argument. This is achieved by having two teams argue a point of law before a judge, or ‘bench’ of judges, before receiving judgment. Mooters will be assessed by virtue of their ability to cite legal authorities, answer judicial questions, observe the etiquette of the courtroom and appear competent as an advocate.

 

Why Should You Moot?

Mooting is a big commitment, and so the prospect of signing up to participate in the internal mooting competition may be naturally daunting and intimidating.

However, a committed mooter can reap the benefits of their hard work and find that the competition has allowed them to grow considerably in an array of areas they may have otherwise been lacking.

But what benefits might one receive from participating in the competition?

• Competitors often enjoy great strides in their own personal confidence as a direct result of their experience mooting. This is unsurprising – mooting is challenging and intellectually demanding. Thus, succeeding in a moot can be very rewarding and worthwhile.
• Because of the nature of mooting, many of the skills that you must utilise are transferable to a career at the Bar. For example, you will gain experience undertaking legal research, and will gain confidence in turning such research into legal argument. Furthermore, mooting will improve your eye for detail, as the law is precise.
• The prospect of judicial intervention – a judge asking you a question during a moot – compels competitors to think on their feet. This, again, will become easier with practice and so it is useful element of a moot that may help you in later life, be that at the Bar or any other career.
• Competitors will often enjoy other, broader benefits as a result of their participation in the mooting competition. There is no option to moot alone, and so a partner is required to enter the competition. Thus, you will gain experience working in a small, tightly knit team, and this is invaluable to a whole host of careers (including that of a typical solicitor). The demands of mooting naturally require one to have excellent organisational and time-management skills; competing will only hone these further.
• Mooters will also gain experience with their advocacy skills. As such, it is highly valued by barristers’ chambers. By entering the internal mooting competition, you are building yourself a good foundation for this career path.

 

Key Dates

The dates for this year’s internal mooting competition qualifying rounds and workshops are listed below. Please note that the sign-up deadline for the internal mooting competition is the 4^th November. You will be notified when sign-ups are open.

• BPP mooting workshops take place on the 21^st and 28^th October, respectively.
• The Bar Society will also be hosting a compulsory mooting workshop on the 2^nd November.
• First round: The moot problem will be released on the 11^th November, with skeleton arguments due on the 16th, and then the moot taking place on the 18^th November.
• Second round: The moot problem will be released on 25th November, with skeletons due on the 30th, and then the moot taking place on 2nd December.

 

Personal Experiences

“I took part in the mooting competition during my first year. Mooting has helped me a lot with my confidence and with transferrable skills such as public speaking, drafting, time management and many more.
Mooting also helped refresh my legal knowledge throughout the year. The areas of law in the mooting problems were directly relevant to the subjects we were studying, so mooting could also be a form of revision!
Not only does mooting improve your legal skills and your CV, but the prize for the competition (a mini-pupillage) is also too good to miss. I would definitely recommend taking part in the mooting competition!”
Jason Kuong, President

 

“In need of bolstering my CV at the start of my second year, I decided to participate in the bar society’s internal mooting competition, despite the fact that I had little interest in pursuing a career at the Bar, and that my public speaking skills were suboptimal. As it turned out, I possessed many of the skills necessary to succeed in a moot and, with practice over the course of the competition, I accumulated tremendous confidence in my speaking ability, allowing me to secure a position in the finals. Winning a moot is both invigorating and rewarding, and my career goals shifted towards the Bar as a result of my experience. It may sound odd, but I genuinely believe that the mooting competition is the best thing that I have ever done.”
Joshua Figgett, Junior Master of Moots

 

“In all honesty, my first moot was awful. Albeit embarrassing to admit, I went in blind and had no idea what to expect! (I had missed the mooting workshops) - however it only made me more determined. With correct preparation and presentation, I went on to be quite successful and only grew in confidence! It’s the most welcoming environment to try mooting out!”
Gabrielle Harrison, Inns of Court Officer

 

“I started mooting as a way to expand my legal knowledge. It turned into one of the best things I’ve done with my time at university. The skill I gained most from mooting was time management, juggling university commitments, other society commitments and mooting was on occasions challenging but it kept me very busy and helped me develop my ability to multi-task and handle several things at once. Further to this I learned a lot about legal research. Truthfully, mooting made me research cases a lot more than the course itself did. Thus, through mooting I gained a greater appreciation and love of law as a subject.”
Sean Hamlin, Treasurer