University of Hertfordshire Victory in National Mooting Competition

27 June, 2008

The team from the University of Hertfordshire is the winner of this year’s ESU – Essex Court Chambers National Mooting Competition. It is the first time that the university has won the coveted silver mace.

Daniel Berger and Beverley Cottrell beat off Tom Devlin and Oliver Phillips, representing City University, in the exciting evening final, which was held in the President’s Court of the Royal Courts of Justice in London last night.

The ESU – Essex Court Chambers National Mooting Competition, which is now in its thirty- sixth year, attracted entries from 62 teams. The final of the competition was judged this year by a panel chaired by Lord Steyn, who was joined by Richard Millett QC and Dr Martin Lau.

Winner Daniel Berger who comes from London, was jubilant:
‘As an aspiring barrister still in the first year of my undergraduate law degree, winning the final and, in particular, meeting Lord Steyn, was truly the most thrilling moment of my life.’

His team partner Beverley Cottrell, who lives In Meldreth, near Cambridge, was also delighted with the achievement:
“Mooting has been a lot of hard work but very rewarding.  We’ve had superb support from all the members of the University mooting team and we are delighted to bring the mace to the school of law at St Albans for the first time”

 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. In this year’s final the Hertfordshire duo were speaking for the respondents, whilst City acted for the Appellants in the complex but fictional problem Spicey Ltd v Strong Arm Security..

The winners received a silver Mace and a prize of £1,000 each. Their university, Hertfordshire, received a donation of £1,000.  The runners up received “The Scarman Shield”, £750 each and
City University received £500.  For the second time in the competition, the other semi-finalists, (Nicholas Pointon,Waleed, Rasramani, Stephen Donnelly and Andrew Gray) did not go home empty handed but 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 is administered by the ESU, sponsored by Essex Court Chambers and supported by Legal Week as media partners.