Law society mooting

Jul 22, 2016

Written By Billy Sexton, Editor, AllAboutLaw.co.uk

Most university law societies offer students the opportunity to take part in a moot. These are usually run with a bit of help from the law school and lecturers often play the role of judge. Taking part in law society moots is great experience and all budding lawyers should definitely take part in during their time at university. What? I’m going too fast? I see, you want to know what mooting actually is…

What is mooting?

Mooting is a mock legal hearing where students take on the role of counsel and present arguments on a point of law. Mooting involves a lot of research and analysis, the preparation of written submissions and an oral presentation. The case is usually hypothetical and designed to test law students.

There are also national mooting competitions you can take part in, providing you with the chance to test out your legal research skills and build on your understanding of legal principles.

Why is it important to take part in mooting?

The experience is as close as university students will get to the atmosphere of a court of law, so if you’re eyeing up a career as a barrister by going on to attain a BPTC, mooting is a straightforward and accessible way to get some great experience under your belt.

Also, with the legal sector difficult to enter and the graduate market a fierce environment, having experience of law society mooting will set you apart from other candidates. Additionally, it’s simply a great way to develop your skills and provide you with more confidence in your own abilities. What better way to learn and understand the law than researching, analysing and presenting arguments?

How can mooting help me?

Mooting also develops public speaking and presentation skills, which are highly valued by any employer, not just those in the legal sector. You will also be working within a team to present your case, as you will be for the entirety of your legal career, so mooting also provides good experience of working with others to achieve a common goal.

A successful mooter will also be able to handle the pressure of a moot, think on their feet and respond confidently to any questions from the judge. You might not be able to do this in your first ever moot, but practice makes perfect and therefore it’s important to be continually involved with law society mooting.

What does law society mooting not provide?

Whilst law society mooting is highly valued by employers and provides aspiring legal professionals with experience and skills needed to enter the industry, it should be viewed as just one part of your legal experience. Employers would love to see that you had undertaken a vacation scheme during your time at university and a combination of mooting, legal work experience and attendance on a vacation scheme will put you in pole position to secure a training contract.

Mooting is also often judged on the presentation of the argument and the skills shown by students taking part, rather than the strength of the legal argument.

Nevertheless, mooting is fun and beneficial to all law students and you should definitely get involved with your law society and the moots they host.

Law Societies