by second year student Simerjit Reyat.

Mooting has been the most rewarding experience I have undertaken while studying law at the University of Reading. Mooting is not only the closest experience any law student can get to truly appearing in an appeal court, but it also encourages personal enrichment through the development of various skills. After a successful audition, I was selected to participate in the National Student Law Society external mooting competition.

This was the first year that I began mooting therefore I was very new to the concept however, I found that the level of support and encouragement from the Law Society and Dr Amy Codling, who is the mooting coordinator, was exceptional.

The first round of the competition was against the University of Hertfordshire therefore, my mooting partner (second year student, Abhirami Babu) and I travelled to Hertfordshire and mooted in the Universities Law Court Building. Upon arrival we were greeted with a very warm welcome by both the staff and students. As I stepped into the mock court room I was stunned at how realistic it appeared. I felt as though I had been transported into a real court of appeal and was representing a real respondent.

During the moot there was an audience supporting our opponents which was initially extremely intimidating however, when presenting my submission I found that I became so immersed in my argument that I forgot that anyone was watching. Moreover, the judge was a local barrister who provided extensive judicial intervention which encouraged me to think quickly on my feet while remaining poised under increasing pressure. He also provided critical feedback at the end of the moot to aid personal improvement.

Overall, it was an unparalleled opportunity which allowed me to delve into the legal world and gain an insight which no book could possibly provide. Mooting requires a lot of hard work and long hours in the library, but it is a worthwhile experience which everyone should take advantage of!

by final year student Pauline Mutuc.

During week 10 of the autumn term (3^rd December 2014) the European Law Students’ Association (ELSA) at Reading held the finals for its first annual Human Rights Mooting Competition (HMRC). The competition was fierce, resulting in a two-point difference between the finalists. The winners, Alexander Powell (a second year student) and Ramona Thambiratnam (a third year student, who is on exchange from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia), were awarded with a guaranteed place on the ELSA trip abroad to Luxembourg in February.

This year, the ELSA Committee had initiated an internal competition in order to give its members the confidence, as well as the experience in order to form a Reading University team to compete at the ELSA International HMRC next academic year. Moving forward, this is a wonderful opportunity for students to gain exposure with mooting in an international human rights context. Every year, universities all over Europe send teams to put together written submissions, after which the top sixteen teams are chosen to compete in the oral phase at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The winners of the international competition are awarded a month-long internship at the Court in Strasbourg. ELSA Reading is currently open for sponsorship in this endeavour.

Overall, ELSA Reading’s first ever HMRC was a fantastic success! It provided law students from first year to post-graduate level the opportunity to work together in teams, as students from each year were paired in a randomly selected draw. During the final round, the finalists consisted of undergraduate students from first to third year, as all of the post-graduate participants were eliminated in the first round. The students have found it to be a ‘good learning experience’, as well as helpful in building their presentation skills and confidence.

ELSA would like to thank all of the wonderful lecturers who have helped out with the event – Dr. Amy Codling for all of her guidance, and Dr Katja Samuel, Dr Lawrence Hill-Cawthorne, Ms Nora Honkala, Professor Rosemary Auchmuty, Dr Dimitrios Kyritsis and Dr Ruvi Ziegler for all their help in judging.

Top left: Mooting Finalists with ELSA Committee Members

Top right: ELSA Committee Members with Judges

Bottom, from left: Winners: Alexander Powell and Ramona Thambiratnam

Mooting Finalists: Gabriel Shea and Simerjit Reyat