A moot is a mock trial of a legal issue. Mooting provides students with the opportunity to argue a fictional case as if representing a client. Birmingham Law School organises a range of mooting opportunities and all students have the opportunity to participate.
In our moots an academic tutor or visiting practitioner acts as judge, making a decision both on law and on the advocacy skills of the competitors. Although mooting does offer valuable experience for those who are considering a career as a barrister or solicitor, it is also useful in encouraging students to think deeply about the legal topic in hand, which is of tremendous benefit to their subsequent studies.
Students receive full support for mooting from members of the Academic Staff and the relevant student members of the Mooting Committee, and a workshop is run each year to introduce students to mooting.
The Moot Room was refurbished in 2011 and is now a state-of-the-art court room, complete with audio-visual equipment for recording our moots. These new facilities will make Mooting more central to the legal education which Birmingham Law School provides.
Internal mooting
Birmingham Law School operates four mooting Competitions: the Allen and Overy First Year Competition; the Camm Cup, sponsored by No. 5 Chambers, for second and final year students; the Postgraduate Competition and the new Alumni Cup competition, introduced in 2011/12.
Each year many teams of students from across all years at Birmingham participate, and the finals of each of the competitions are judged by eminent members of the legal profession. In recent years, we have welcomed members of the House of Lords, Lord Justices of Appeal and leading barristers as our judges.
External mooting
Birmingham Students regularly represent the University at regional and national competitions, with some notable success. In recent years, we have entered the Oxford University Press, Weekly Law Reports, Inner Temple and the Midlands Mooting Competitions.
There are also opportunities to enter the University in international competitions, such as the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Students compete in national and regional competitions (mostly held in January-March) to earn the right to advance to the White & Case International Rounds held every spring in Washington, D.C.
If you have any questions about mooting, please contact Miss Theresa Lynch.