MOOTING

Introductory Workshop 27.09.2012

WHAT IS MOOTING?

 “Mooting is the oral presentation of a legal issue or problem against an opposing counsel and before a judge.” (Oxford University Press)  A combination of Debating and Public Speaking  Moots are an age-old tradition in the Inns of Court that date back to at least the 14 th century, if not earlier.

WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE?

 Research on points of law, rather than fact  Preparing written submissions (a skeleton or a memorial) for presentation before an Appellate court  Delivery of oral submissions before a Bench of Appellate Judges  Pre-empting/Rebutting the submissions of the opposition counsel  Handling questions from the Bench and maintaining court etiquette

WHY MOOT?

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It will:

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Increase your confidence in public speaking Develop your ability to form articulate arguments Enhance your research skills Add depth to your legal knowledge Improve your career prospects Give you the opportunity to network with legal luminaries Provide you with opportunities to travel!

OPPORTUNITIES

 Vertex Chambers Annual Mooting Competition – 6-13 October  Surana & Surana Mooting Competition, Pune – 7-9 December  IXth KK Luthra Moot Court Competition, Delhi – 18-20 January  5 th Gujarat National Law University Moot Court, Gandhinagar 6-10 February

A PERSONAL ACCOUNT

 VIIth KK Luthra International Criminal Law Moot, Campus Law Centre, Delhi  Salient Points: • • • • • Jurisdiction Genocide & Ethnic Cleansing Destruction of Cultural Heritage – Genocide, Crime Against Humanity or War Crime?

Judicial Bias, Recusal and Impeachment Financial Malpractice  More than 60 teams from India, the UK and the USA  Adjudicators: Advocates, Senior Advocates, High Court & Supreme Court Judges

SO WHAT NEXT?

 Sample Moot Problem & Skeleton  Practice Sessions • • • • How to write Skeletons and Memorials How to present oral submissions & court etiquette How to deal with judicial intervention & time constraints How to prepare a bundle of legal documents  Selection of Moot Teams from 2 nd and 3 rd Years • • • 1 st Week October: Vertex Chambers & KK Luthra 1 st week of November – Surana & Surana 1 st week of December – GNLU Moot

WHERE TO START?

 Read the sample Moot Problem.

 First and foremost: Identify the salient legal points arising from the Moot Problem assigned to you.  During a Moot, the first place to start: Textbooks in the Library , Study Guides and the Practical Law Company (PLC)  Research case law: Westlaw, LexisNexis through your VLE, Indiakanoon  Read journal articles on Westlaw, LexisNexis, JSTOR, Wiley, etc.

CONTACT DETAILS

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Mooting Coordinator: Barrister Morshed Mannan

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E-mail:

[email protected]

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Mooting Secretary: Ridi Rubaiyat

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E-mail:

[email protected]

THANK YOU

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU IN THE NEXT SESSION!