Monday 16th March saw four City students battle it out in front of His Honour Judge Donald Cryan in the amazing surroundings of the UK Supreme Court.

Judge Cryan is a Circuit Judge and also sits as a judge of the High Court Family Division. He is a Bencher of the Inner Temple and Chair of the Institute of Family Law Arbitrators Advisory Committee.

This was the Final of the City Scholars Moot, open to all LLB and Graduate Entry LLB students at City – the problem revolved around obligations and variation of contracts. Essentially what happens when builders promise to complete work on time but fail to do so and only complete the job when more money offered to do the same work.

Appellants were undergraduate students, Jamie Popat (third year) and Abubakr Karimabadi (second year) and Respondents were first year students on the Graduate Entry programme, Kahroba Kojouri and Alex Battick.

Jamie, Abubakr, Judge Cryan, Jason and Kahroba

Judge Cryan permitted the appeal on both grounds, awarding modest damages of £750. He was impressed by all the mooters, making comments like this:

Of Jamie: “A calm, well-argued case – very impressed by the way you dealt with my questions..”

Of Kahroba: “Projected amiably – confident in face of testing questions. Admirable how unfazed you were in dealing with authorities outside of your bundle…”

Of Alex: “..Will make a good advocate. You responded well to questioning and were appropriately confident and clear in your responses“

Judge Cryan picked out the “impressively calm and mature presentation” of Abubakr, choosing him as the winner on the night, before all finalists joined him for a celebratory dinner at the RAC club on Pall Mall. Judge Cryan noted Abubakr’s well structured argument and his use of authorities “citing just the right parts at appropriate length in response to the court’s questions“. Kahroba was the runner-up on the evening.

Kahroba and Jason getting in the zone!

Abubakr and Jamie preparing