Are you an aspiring advocate? Do you want firsthand experience of life as a trial lawyer? Then the National Speed Mooting Competition offers an opportunity to do just that. It is open to all undergraduate law and GDL students from across the UK, with students representing themselves rather than their university.

What is it?

The National Speed Mooting Competition is a competition unlike any other. It will take place over a single day in a straight head to head knockout format, with a winner crowned at the end of the day. The competition will be judged by practising lawyers.

Format

The main competition will have 128 competitors. There will be a preliminary qualifying round on the morning of the competition should more than 128 participants enter the competition. Further details can be found in the rules section of the website.

Mooters will have seven minutes to present their submissions in the early rounds and 10 minutes in the semi final and final; hence the name speed mooting. This places huge emphasis on succinct, powerful arguments and avoiding verbosity. Throughout the day participants will be asked to present the case for either the Appellant or the Respondent and this will vary for participants from round to round. Judgments will be given at the end of each moot and some judges may even give feedback, which will allow participants to hone their advocacy skills throughout the day.

Preparation time

The National Speed Mooting Competition is designed to replicate the scenario in practice when a barrister or solicitor advocate receives instructions at short notice to appear in court the following day. No legal research or drafting is required; you will be judged purely on your oral advocacy. The moot problem and accompanying brief will be sent out the day before the competition by email. All authorities and pre-drafted skeleton arguments will be included in the brief.

Where and when is it?

The National Speed Mooting Competition will take place at Liverpool Hope University on 23rd March 2019. The competition will run from 9am until 6pm. Onsite parking is available on the day.

Cost & prizes

Entry for the competition is £20.00. You will receive lunch on the day.

The winner of the competition will receive a trophy and an Ipad Mini. The runner up will also receive a trophy.

Why should you take part?

This competition will give you the opportunity to compete against others solely as an individual and be judged purely on your skills as an advocate.

The competition from start to finish will take less than 24 hours of your time; from receiving the brief to the final moot (should you make it that far).

Should you be eliminated from the competition, there will be other events throughout the day to ensure that you have a worthwhile experience. There will be a Q&A session with lawyers of varying degrees of experience. There will be junior lawyers that can give practical advice in relation to pupillage and training contract applications, interviews and the early years of practice. The more senior lawyers will be on hand to talk about the highlights of a career in the law. There will also be an advocacy exhibition on the day to allow you to pick up useful tips on court advocacy.

So sign up and give yourself the opportunity to really set yourself apart by putting this unique experience on your CV.

What if I do not feel ready to moot?

If you would like to experience a moot but do not feel ready to take part at this time, then there is the opportunity for you to be a volunteer on the day. Volunteers can act as timekeepers or court ushers.

How to sign up

Visit www.speedmooting.com and follow the link for the sign up page. Further information is available on the website but if you have any queries feel free to email nationalspeedmoot@gmail.com.