DICTAcommittee
The Herbert Smith Freehills
Mooting Competition
Zachary Tan, Master of the Moot
2012/2013. presents the highlights of
this year’s mooting competition.
M
ooting, to me, is somewhat like persuading your grandfather
to buy a car for you. You want to keep him happy, so you
listen patiently to everything he has to say. You try to persuade him
that the reasons you want a car are legitimate and that he should
decide against your mother, who at first instance, declined your
car wish. You pull off a few tricks of charm but want to remain
respectful at all times.
Indeed, everyone has different approaches to what effective
advocacy means and different judges have different expectations
of competitors. However, one thing with regard to mooting at
Bristol is for certain – one cannot be said to have had a meaningful
law school experience without getting in contact with the Herbert
Smith Freehills Mooting Competition over the course of the 3 or 4
years here at Bristol, whether as competitor or spectator.
The finals this year were an astounding success, with an overwhelming attendance at the Civil Justice Centre. It was an exciting
time for twelve of the competitors, but only three could walk away
with a champion cup in their hands. The excitement and tension
in the air was compounded by the presence of many supporters
that evening.
At the end of the evening, Caroline Chew (1st Year), Daniel
Bishop (2nd Year) and Steven Hunter (3rd Year) emerged victorious to set their names down in mooting history at Bristol.
The evening came to a fantastic finale with the reception at
the Glass Boat where the winners celebrated their victories and
everyone sat down for a delightful meal. We extend our greatest
appreciation to everyone who has made this competition a success.
We also wish our successors all the best in organising the competition next year.
78 | DICTA 2013