Laura and Harriet (on left)

Two days of mooting madness to finish off the season…

On Tuesday 24th April GDL students Laura Inglis and Harriet Tolkien competed in the final stages of the UKLSA (UK Law Students Association) moot. Previous rounds have seen them face BPP and Sussex. This final stage included the quarter (against Lincoln) and semi-finals (against Plymouth) as well as the final all in one day.

The final (against Oxford) was judged by Lord Sumption at the Supreme Court.

Here’s what Harriet had to say about the day:

We made it through to the final of the UKLSA Mooting Competition in the Supreme Court, after beating Lincoln in the quarterfinal, judged by the charming but very interventionist Andrew Caldecott QC, and Plymouth in the semifinal in front of a two judge panel of Vaughan Jacob and Robert Howe QC.

Despite some rather testing questions from Lord Sumption, who was judging they managed to beat Oxford, winning the competition.

Big congratulations to both Laura and Harriet, who stepped in to cover this moot in December. They are now in possession of a very shiny trophy thanks to the UKLSA. If you’d like to see more photographs of the event check out the UKLSA Facebook page.

Wednesday 25th City students were back at the Supreme Court for the final of our GDL Internal Moot Competition. This intense competition began back in late November with over 130 competitors and after getting through the subsequent two rounds, the four finalists making their appearance were Madeline Dixon, Jack Murphy, Andrew Feld and John Schmitt.

Andrew, Madeline, Lord Mance, John and Jack

Kindly judged by Lord Mance for the third year running, the final problem pivoted around the topical issue of school places and whether they can amount to property under the Theft Act 1968. All four mooted superbly with the eventual winner declared as John Schmitt, with runner up Madeline Dixon. John was picked out for the quality of his argument, particularly those around policy and for his skill in going beyond the law, Madeline for her clear, structured submissions and her capability in dealing with the judge’s questions.

Lord Mance in his summing up said that of all the mooters he saw each year – City GDL students were always the most accomplished – a fantastic testament to the hard work our students put into this activity, on top of all their other commitments.