MURDOCH UNIVERSITY
MOOT COURT BENCH
International Mooting Opportunities @ Murdoch
S
Inter-State Moots
S Administrative Appeals Tribunal Moot
S Shine Lawyers Torts Moot
S Hon. Michael Kirby Contract Law Moot
S Sir Harry Gibbs Constitutional Law Moot
Administrative Appeals
Tribunal Moot
S
The Competition
S Murdoch chooses two teams of three students each to
compete in this moot
S The moot scenarios focus on various areas of administrative
law including immigration and citizenship, social security,
veterans’ affairs, workers' compensation and taxation
S The Tribunal conducts merits review which involves a
complete reconsideration of the factual, legal and policy
considerations relating to the decision under review
Structure of the Moot
S Team members will attend a Tribunal hearing prior to
commencement of the competition to observe the role of
counsel in the merits review setting
S Each round will have a new question drawing on a different
area of administrative law
S The scenario for each round will be released one week
before the competition date
Structure (Con’t)
S The first one or two rounds will be conducted at the Perth
registry before a member of the Tribunal
S Following the state or territory competitions, eight teams
will enter the national finals with the grand final being held
in Brisbane and adjudicated by the President of the
Tribunal.
Preparation and Mooting
S Each round will require the preparation of written
submissions (around 10 pages)
S Competitors will complete a number of practice moots with
the team coach
S In each team two members will speak and one will act as
solicitor
S Each round is a knock-out
Competition Timetable
S 2014 Competition Timetable
S Round 1: 5 – 7 August
S Further rounds are held throughout August & September
S Grand Final: 7 October
Shine Lawyers Contract Moot
S
Type of Law
S Torts law (LAW152)
S Court of Appeal style moot
S QUT in Brisbane
S Finals held in Supreme Court
S Very similar to Junior/Senior Mooting
The Team
S 1 Team
S 3 Students
Memorials
S Not required to submit full written submissions
S Outline of Appellants arguement
S Respondent’s 2 weeks later
S New outline for Semi Final/Grand Final
S 4 Pages long
S 10% of marks
Structure
S 4 moots
S Semi Finals
S Grand Final
Awards
S Winning team: $500
S Runner-up: $200
S Best Mooter in final round: $100
S Best Mooter in general rounds: $100
Hon. Michael Kirby Contract
Moot
S
Type of Law
S Contract Law
S Simulation of an arbitration in a contract dispute
S Written Memoranda and Oral hearings
S Great competition to do to transition into big international
ones
Universities
S 15 Universities
S Monash
S UWS
S Griffith
S Melbourne
S ANU
S UWA
S 24 Teams
The Team
S 1 team
S 3 members
S Preparation time of approx 2.5 months
Memorials
S Memoranda are 15 pages long
S Scored by
S quality of the analysis;
S persuasiveness of argument;
S thoroughness of research;
S clarity of the writing; and
S adherence to the rules
S
Not given memos in elimination rounds
Structure
S 4 moots per team minimum
S 2 each side
S 2 per day
S Top 16 to elimination rounds
S Quarter Final- 8
S Semi Final- 4
S Grand Final- 2
Oral Hearings
S 30 minutes for orals
S 15 minutes per speaker
Awards
S The awards given in the moot are:
S Award for the Winning Team in the Final Rounds
S Award for the Runner Up Team in the Final Rounds
S Award for the Best Individual Oralist in the Final Rounds
S Award for Best Written Memorandum for Claimant
S Award for Best Written Memorandum for Respondent
S Honourable mentions will be made for:
S The Highest Scored Team in the General Rounds
S The Highest Scored Oralist in the General Rounds
S The Highest Scored Oralist in the Final Rounds
Timeline
S Dates aren’t out yet…
S 2013 dates were late September
S Monday 23 September 2013: Opening briefing, general
round
S Tuesday 24 September 2013: Elimination round
S Wednesday 25 September 2013: Semi-final round, final
round and awards function
Sir Harry Gibbs Constitutional
Law Moot
S
Gibbs Constitutional Law Moot
Team 2013
Gibbs Constitutional Law Moot
Team 2012
The Competition
S Team of 3
S Constitutional Law Question
S Participants must have completed or undertaking LAW259
Constitutional Law
S Almost every major University in Australia and NZ participates
S Run by University of Canberra in ACT
S Finals held in High Court
Timeline
S Actual Dates have not been confirmed
S Traditionally held in October
S Students need to be available in September & October.
The Format
S High Court First Instance Case
S Plaintiffs and Defendants
S 2 Speakers on each side
S 4 General Rounds
S 2 Rounds as Plaintiff & 2 Rounds as Defendant
S Quarter Finals; Semi Finals
S Grand Finals
S Judged by Hon. Robert French CJ in 2013
The Benefits
S Largest Domestic National Moot
S Looks Great on your CV
S Opportunity to Actually Appear in the High Court
S For Grand Finalist
S Social Events
S 2013 Team enjoyed the following
S
S
S
Gala Night
Cocktail Evening
Pub Crawl
International Moots/
Competitions
S INADR International Mediation Tournament
S International ADR Mooting Competition
S International Maritime Law Arbitration Moot
S International Institute of Space Law - Manfred Lachs Moot
S Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot
S Philip C. Jessup Public International Law Moot
INADR International
Mediation Tournament
S
About the Moot
S 3 Competitors per team.
S 56 Teams from around the world competed in 2014.
S The INADR International Law School Mediation Tournament is
organised annually by the International Academy of Dispute
Resolution.
S The competition was hosted in Chicago this year.
S A unique aspect of this tournament is its strong focus on education
and training, with students given the opportunity to participate in two
days of advanced mediation training conducted professional
mediators before the commencement of the competition rounds.
Structure of the Moot
S Teams of three students each go through three preliminary rounds
serving as mediators, as well as advocates and clients.
S Mediators work in pairs, with the co-mediators being from
different schools
S Mediators are judged on their ability to work together with their
co-mediator in addition to their listening skills, their ability to help
that advocates and clients see the strengths and weaknesses of
their cases.
S Advocates and clients are judged on their ability to present their
case, to articulate their strengths and weaknesses, and to work
with the mediators toward a solution while also meeting their
needs and interests.
Awards
S The 2014 Murdoch team won awards for their overall results
in both the lawyer/client and mediator categories of the
competition, finishing as the 5th and 7th ranked teams overall
in those categories.
S The Murdoch Team was rank 6th best individual
lawyer/client pairing, which was a ranking achieved against
168 individual pairings competing in the preliminary
rounds. Finally, the team was awarded the H.Case Ellis
Mediation Award.
International ADR Mooting
Competition
S
About the Moot
S 3 people will be selected to represent Murdoch university.
S The Moot is conducted by City University of Hong Kong
in association with the China International Economic and
Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), Columbia
University (New York), and UNCITRAL - Regional Centre
for Asia and the Pacific.
S It is run from 27 July to 2 August in Hong Kong
The Format
S In each round teams will be engaged in both mediation and
arbitration.
S In the moot, arbitration will be conducted first followed by
mediation. At the conclusion of the arbitral hearing the two legal
counsels for each side will divide their duties during the mediation
with one acting as client and the other as attorney/legal counsel.
S A third student from each university competing will act as an
arbitrator and mediator for a different moot in which two other
universities are competing. This student will serve initially as an
arbitrator (one of three) sitting as the arbitral panel. Then the
student will personally conduct the mediation that follows the
arbitration.
History
S Murdoch has been very successful in this event.
S Murdoch has won the following honors:
S Winners: 2010
S Highest Ranked Team – General Rounds: 2012
S Runner Up: 2011, 2012
S Runner up Team – Memoranda: 2010
S Best Mediator: 2010, 2012
S Best Mediator – General Rounds: 2012
S Best Oralist – Arbitration Proceedings In Finals: 2012
S Best Oralist – Arbitration Proceedings: 2010, 2011, 2012
International Maritime Law
Arbitration Moot
S
Features of the Competition
S Created and run by Murdoch University
S Murdoch teams are very successful
S Supported by leading advocates
Style
S Arbitral Proceeding
S Sitting Down
S Mr or Madam President/ Arbitrator
Type of Law
S International Commercial Maritime Law
S Jurisdiction and Merits Sections
S Jurisdiction – Power of tribunal
S Merits – Pirates; Ships Blowing up; Breach of Contracts;
Negligence
Universities
S Murdoch University
S University of Queensland
S National University of Singapore
S City University of Hong Kong
S National Law School of India University
S Others
The Team
S 4 Members
Preparation Time
S 7 Months
MEMORIALS
S Claimant v Respondent
S 25 Pages Each
Structure
S 4 General Rounds
S Quarter Finals
S Semi Finals
S Grand Final
SPEAKING TIME
S Two oralists per team per round
S 40 minutes of speaking time
S Divided how teams choose
S Claimant’s rebuttal option
AWARDS
S Best Memorials
S Oral Rounds
S Highest Ranked Team in General Rounds
S Best Speakers Awards
International Institute of
Space Law - Manfred Lachs
Moot
S
LACHS
S Created by the International Institute of Space Law
S Has grown from 3 universities in 1992, to 60 universities
worldwide
STYLE
S Jessup style moot
S International Court of Justice
S Acting as Applicant or Respondent
TYPE OF LAW
S Public International Law
S Space Law – lex specialis
S International disputes between States
S COPOUS
TEAM MEMBERS
S 3 Members
Length of Moot
S 6 – 10 Months
MEMORIALS
S Applicant and Respondent
S 35 pages or 9,000 words
S Additional information included
THE WAY IT RUNS
S Regional Rounds between March and June
S 4 teams (the winners from each regional round) compete in
the world finals in Toronto, Canada
S Held from 30 September to 2 October
S Heard by 3 sitting members of the ICJ
SPEAKING TIME
S Two oralists per team per round
S 30 minutes of speaking time in regional rounds
S Divided as the teams choose
S Applicant – rebuttal; Respondent = sur-rebuttal
AWARDS
S Awards given in World Final Round:
S Best Memorial
S Winner
S Best Oralist
Willem C. Vis International
Commercial Arbitration Moot
S
Willem C. Vis International
Commercial Arbitration Moot
Vis
S 4 team members
S Early October to mid April
S Travel to Vienna
o More than 300 Universities from all over the world!
About the Moot
S International Commercial Arbitration
S United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale
of Goods (CISG)
o Questions of contract relating to the sale of goods under the
CISG
o Procedural/ Jurisdictional issues of arbitration
Schedule
S
Friday, 4 October 2013 - Distribution of the Problem
S
Thursday, 12 December 2013 - Memorandum for claimant due
S
Thursday, 23 January 2014 - Memorandum for respondent due
S
Thursday, 10 April 2014 - Moot Alumni Association Welcoming Party
S
Friday, 11 April 2014 - Official Welcome and reception
S
Saturday - Tuesday, 12 – 15 April 2014 - General Rounds of argument
S
Tuesday evening - Wednesday – Thursday, 15 - 17 April 2014 - Elimination Rounds of
argument
S
Thursday, 17 April 2014 - Awards Banquet
Vis submissions
S
Written submissions
o 35 pages each for claimant and respondent
o Written memorials do not contribute to your score in the oral rounds of the
competition
S
Oral submissions
o 2 people from each team speak in each moot
o 30 minutes to be divided for each teams oral presentation
o
o
No right of rebuttal
Oral rounds take place in:
o
o
o
Juridicum (Faculty of Law of the University of Vienna)
DLA Piper
Baker & McKenzie
Phillip C. Jessup
Public International Law
Moot
S
The Competition
S Jessup is the world’s largest and most prestigious mooting
competition with participants from over 550 law schools in
more than 80 countries
S The moot simulates a dispute between countries before the
International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the
United Nations
S The
moot scenario can cover any area of
international law
public
Structure of the Moot
S Competitors work in a team of 5 to research the scenario
and produce written memorials
S The scenario is released in mid-September and written
submissions are submitted in January
S Teams will compete in national qualifying rounds in order
to make it to the international round in Washington D.C
Structure (Con’t)
S The Australian national oral rounds are held in Canberra
before judging panels of experienced lawyers from the
Attorney-General’s Department and DFAT
S The top two teams from the national rounds will qualify to
compete in the White & Case International rounds
The Benefits
S Provides competitors with advanced international research
skills
S Competitors will vastly improve written advocacy skills and
the ability to develop concise and persuasive arguments
S Competitors are given advanced oral advocacy training and
the opportunity to test their skills before panels of highly
qualified judges
Benefits (Con’t)
S Jessup is the moot that all firms know, and they know the
level of work and commitment that goes into this
competition
S Networking opportunities are vest in the national rounds of
Jessup and the competition is advantageous if competitors
want to apply for positions in government departments
The Expectation
S The research and writing stage of Jessup takes place over
the summer break and requires a disciplined commitment
from competitors to get the work done!
S You are representing yourself, your team mates and your
University!
Mooting Application Process
For 2014 Winter Break / S2 Moots
S What are we looking for in applicants?
o Strong academic record
o Demonstration of advocacy skills
o
Through participation in internal competitions and smaller moots
o Ability to work in a team
Applications
S Two round of applications each year
S Written Application including:
o Application Form
o CV
o Academic Transcript
*Written applications must be emailed to Michelle Barron no later
than 5pm Friday 4 April*
m.barron@murdoch.edu.au
Applications cont.
S Interview:
o Interviews will be held on Saturday 12 April
o
Applicants will be advised of their interview timeslot on Tuesday 8
April
o Panel of 3 moot coaches
o Standard interview questions
o Presentation of short 3 minute speech on any legal topic of their
choice
S Students will be advised of the team selections the following week
Questions
&
Answers
S