The University of Glasgow – Francesca Ruddy and Katherine Docherty – was the winner of the 2011 ESU – Essex Court Chambers National Mooting Competition. It is the first time that Glasgow has won the coveted silver mace.
The team from Glasgow defeated Alexander Knight and Matilda Forbes Watson representing BPP Law School in the exciting evening final, which was held in the President’s Court of the Royal Courts of Justice last night. Earlier in the day, the teams had faced the University of Cambridge and Kings College London in the semi finals, held at Dartmouth House in London.
The grand final moot itself was of an exceptionally high standard. It was judged this year by a panel chaired by Dr Gavan Griffith QC (Australia), – a former Solicitor General Australia and now an International Commercial and Investment Disputes Arbitrator. The other two judges were: Martin Griffiths QC, an Essex Court Chambers Silk best known for his work in Employment, and Professor Philippa Watson, an Essex Court Chambers barrister specialising in EU law and competition and Visiting Professor City University, London.
The two winning Glaswegians, who first met each other at high school at St Aloysius’ College in Glasgow, were happy to be presented with the competition’s silver mace: “We’re absolutely delighted to bring an English Speaking Union prize to Scotland,” they explain.
“The experience of advocacy through mooting has given me a real understanding of law in practice that you just don’t get from reading text books,” commented Francesca and “ I have really enjoyed the challenge of tackling a different legal system successfully,” continued Katherine.
In a moot, two pairs of ‘advocates’ argue a fictitious legal appeal case in front of a ‘judge’. To win, you do not necessarily have to win the legal case, but must make the best presentation of your legal arguments.
The winners received a silver Mace and a prize of £1,000 each. Their university, Glasgow, received a donation of £1,000. The runners up received “The Scarman Shield”, £750 each and the
BPP Law School received £500. The other semi-finalists did not go home empty handed, with each receiving received cash prizes of £250 each. The cash prizes were generously donated by Essex Court Chambers where all finalists will also be offered a mini-pupillage.
The competition, now in its fortieth year, is administered by the ESU, sponsored by Essex Court Chambers and supported by Legal Week as media partners