What Our Students Are Saying

Discover why competitions are an important and exciting experience for you to consider during your legal education.

Hear from our students to explore the benefits and their own experiences.

Why did you choose to participate in competitions? What did you hope to gain?

“I decided to participate because mooting allows you to interact with the law in such a practical manner, that you begin to understand not only the law, but why the law is the way it is.” – Seon

“To explore how International Law is conceptualized and argued in both written and oral proceedings.” – Wajahat

“I enjoyed the process of preparing and performing in moots on the LSP module, more so than I thought I would because I usually am terrified of public speaking. I felt encouraged to apply and wanted to further develop my legal research skills, better my public speaking and have the opportunity to learn from my peers and Dr Walsh.” – Zainab

What has participating in competitions taught you? Did any part of the learning experience surprise you?

“Being involved in different competitions allowed me to develop my own voice as an advocate as well as build confidence in myself and my skills.” – Willin

“I learned how to pick out what is important without necessarily sidelining any pieces of information that seem at first glance not so relevant to the negotiation. It was also good to learn how to work with people you’ve never met.” – Yulia

“The experience taught me that even if one understands the law thoroughly, that does not automatically give rise to convincing argumentation of the law.” – Seon

“I got much better at presenting verbal arguments and responding to questions/thinking on my feet, but this happened a lot faster than I thought it would; the improvement in my performance even just between the first and second rounds of the OUP competition was huge. I also became close friends with the other students who took part and made new legal connections!” – Tessa

“I was surprised that judges would sometimes seek to test your knowledge of the law through a dialogue around hypothetical alternatives to the facts, rather than directly pushing you to explain the law all the time.” – Wajahat

“I had the opportunity to be judged by some of the greatest legal minds in the UK and construct legal and factual arguments from problems that seemed it could go either way. It taught me how to think on my feet, better my team-working skills, my advocacy skills and really helped to cement the legal knowledge I was learning from classes in a practical setting.” – Zainab

Would you recommend competitions to other students?

“Without a doubt, I would enthusiastically recommend similar competitions to fellow students. The benefits extend far beyond the competition itself and contribute significantly to both academic and personal growth.” – Simone

“Absolutely! It was great fun and very rewarding.” – Wajahat

“Engaging in the competitions has been my favourite part of university and I would highly recommend it. It will build up your confidence along with developing many practical skills that you will use beyond university.” – Cameron

“I recommend it to every law student, despite what your future career aspirations may be. Advocacy teaches you so much about yourself and others, so many of the skills are transferable both within a legal context and out. It really developed me as a person and aspiring legal professional.” – Zainab

Any other reflections on your experience of competitions that you wish to share?

“Looking back on my experience, I have realised that since my mooting competitions, I now write summative assessments with more ease. I can provide more clarity in my papers because I have had the experience of diving into the law in a manner than prepared me to be questioned on every single provision, case and journal article used. If you wish to become a thorough law student, mooting is for you.” – Seon

“I can only say I wish I had come out of my comfort zone sooner and got myself involved in extra-curricular activities such as mooting. They really are an excellent opportunity to build and refine your legal skills.” – Willin

“Before I began the mooting competition, I found it really difficult to express myself in group settings; I felt I was completely lost when interpreting legal decisions. From the experience, I feel so much more comfortable with discussions and sometimes even look forward to presentations. It has developed my analytical skills so much, and it is because of the whole experience that I am now working towards qualifying as a solicitor-advocate.” – Zainab