What is Mooting?
Mooting is the oral presentation of a legal problem before a judge. Mooting is likely to be the closest experience that you will have, whilst at university, to appearing in a court of law.
Mooting competitions take part in a moot court environment, which looks to simulate a court hearing. Students involved will be given a legal problem to analyse, after which they will research the relevant law, prepare their written submissions and then present their oral argument in the court. There are often two opposing student teams, arguing for and against the issue.
The whole process looks to follow a live court room environment as closely as possible, following all necessary procedures and actions.
If you have been involved in debating at school or college, then there are likely to be some elements of this shared with mooting, but with an entirely legal focus. Mooting is an essential part of legal training, and a key focus of Swansea University's suite of experiential learning, which looks to help you perfect the skills needed for legal practice. We have an established calendar of events and a team of supporting staff to help you navigate a range of local, national and even international competitions.
How Does a Mooting Competition Run?
Moots will run as closely as they can to the correct procedure followed in a real court room.
As part of this, there is a range of traditional, and professionally expected behaviour that is expected, and that students will learn as part of the process.
At the beginning of the hearing, the judge(s) will enter, and the students involved in arguing either side of the moot will bow to the judge. The court clerk will then announce the matter for the moot, the student mooters will give their appearances and will then be called on to present their submissions. The judge will ask any necessary questions of the students, then the court will adjourn, with the judge returning later to offer their judgement and feedback, with a winner chosen.
Why Get Involved?
There are a number of reasons that students choose to take part in skills competitions, which can include the following:
- Skills Competitions are an engaging practice that encourage students to research and think about legal issues, which are often made to be very current and topical, and therefore very interesting
- It is an ideal practice for building the key skills that are necessary for any legal career, including advocacy, research, legal writing and oral presentation
- Skills competitions are a great way to build strong relationships within a cohort, with mooters often becoming good friends that enter several competitions together as part of different teams
- It adds great experience to a CV, evidencing skills and abilities to future employers
- It can be very rewarding and enjoyable - it is a somewhat pressured environment but it leads to excellent experiences, with students often coming back to compete repeatedly through their degree
Are There Other Opportunities Beyond Mooting?
Absolutely! We run internal mooting competitions and about a third of our external competitions are mooting but we also enter teams in competitions involving negotiations, mediation, client interviewing, trial advocacy and, sometimes, a combination of multiples of these together!
