General Moot - Senior
Update: General Moot Information Session is now Tuesday March 30th @ 2pm in CL_21/S8
The General Moot Competition, our largest, most prestigious and most popular competition, is being held in April 2010.
Separated into Senior (sponsored by Mallesons Stephen Jacques) and Junior divisions (sponsored by Blake Dawson), the General Moot is a chance to simulate a mock appeal. Teams, through written submissions and oral debate will seek to refute or validate the decision of a lower court. The competition is designed to test your legal reasoning skills and allow students to develop their techniques of legal research and advocacy.
In the past, the General Moot has been judged by members of the legal profession including judges of the Federal Court, High Court, Supreme Court and County Court.
The Rules
Each team consists of Senior and Junior Counsel and an optional member acting as a solicitor. The solicitor aids with research and strategy, but does not make submissions during the competition. One team will appear for the Appellant, whilst the opposing team will appear for the Respondent.
Mooting requires the competitors to obey the basic rules of court etiquette. Not only will students be required to wear business attire but also the competitors must address the court in a formal manner, identical to a real courtroom.
Preparation is crucial to success in any moot. Teams will have approximately two days preparation before each round of the competition. Each team is required to prepare a memorandum of arguments and list of authorities, which will be submitted to the judge on the afternoon of the competition.
Then the real fun begins!
Each team will then have the opportunity to present their arguments before the judge. Expect to be questioned by the judges as they test you to see just how you well you know the cases surrounding a particular point of law. These interruptions are a fantastic way for the mooter to score points if he/she can competently answer the judges’ questions clearly, directly and knowledgeably.
So if you’ve ever watched Law and Order and thought you could do better, this is the competition for you!
Applications open ONLINE on Friday 26 March 2010 and close at 5pm on Thursday 1 April 2010. Please note that depending on the number of entrants, some teams may be required to compete in the city.