Salford Business School Law students were recently given an exciting opportunity to tour the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom in London, while also participating in a mooting competition, with the winner crowned by Supreme Court Judge, Lord Hamblen.
A mooting competition is a procedure that imitates a court hearing, where participants have the opportunity to enhance their public speaking, legal research and writing skills by analysing a legal problem. The problems chosen typically centre on areas of law that are unsettled or have been subject to recent developments.
25 Salford Business School Law students, from across different year groups, travelled down to London to visit the Inns of the Court, which comprises the Professional Association for Barristers in England and Wales, the Royal Courts of Justice and the Central Criminal Courts of Justice. They were also given an exclusive tour around the Supreme Court Law Library, which is not usually open to the general public.
The students were able to observe a hearing by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, before observing the final of the mooting competition which took place in one of the court rooms, giving them invaluable first-hand experience of a day in a real court room as a practising Judge/Barrister.
Law student, Ebunoluwa Ayeni, named ‘Mistress of the Moot,’ helped to organise the mooting competition after discovering the opportunity to hold the final at the Supreme Court online. She commented: “Coordinating a mooting competition with the Supreme Court is a remarkable accomplishment that significantly contributes to my future aspirations and career advancement. Managing the moot involved overseeing logistics and structuring the rounds, which deepened my comprehension of judicial reasoning and legal processes.”
The final of the competition comprised two teams: Elizabeth Joel and Al-Alameen Oyedeji against their opposition, Damian Kondras and Victor Kuzmanov. It was a closely fought final, where the winners, Elizabeth and Al-Alameen were chosen by Supreme Court Judge, Lord Hamblen, receiving lots of positive feedback for their advocacy. The students were also provided with vital insights to help their future career success.
Elizabeth commented: “This experience has definitely helped with my future career plans. Public speaking and advocacy are an important part of the role of a Barrister and, as an aspiring Barrister, this experience allowed me to practice those skills.”
The experience has provided the students with the unique opportunity to hear from those at the top of their field and find out what key skills are necessary to reach their future goals. Law Lecturer and Barrister, Sean Ell, who organised the trip, concluded: “Experience of mooting is a great skill for students to have on their CV, as it enables them to demonstrate a number of the skills that employers look for when recruiting. Many Lawyers don’t ever have the opportunity to appear before one of the Supreme Court Judges and so for the students to receive direct feedback from Lord Hamblen on their presentation was exceptional.”