What is mooting?

Moots are mock trial competitions used to prepare trainee lawyers for the atmosphere of court hearings. They are a brilliant tool to improve advocacy, research and public speaking skills and strengthen your ability to produce and defend complex arguments. Participating in mooting is a highly rewarding experience. Students are able to enhance their skills, engage with stimulating and challenging legal issues, build teams with their peers and appeal to prospective employers.

Whilst similar to debates in many respects, moots are much more focused on using analytical skills to build and justify arguments rooted in legal precedents and factual evidence. You will therefore gain with a deeper understanding of law and the ability to confidently engage with topical legal issues. You will also have to face questions from a judge - a unique and unrivalled experience where your argument is tested by a highly informed and skilled mind. In competitions, judges are often current justices of The Supreme Court or judges at the High Court or Court of Appeals.

Mooting at St Andrews

The St Andrews Law Society is dedicated to providing a means for all students to access regular and relevant legal experience through our excellent mooting programme. Our biweekly training sessions offer the opportunity to train for incredible national competitions while improving advocacy, legal research, and public speaking skills on a personal level. Over the 2019-2020 semester, mooting team members trained under renowned QC William Taylor, who continues to offer direct support to our mooting programme members. By participating in the Essex Court Chambers National Mooting Competition, the Lord Jones Moot, and the International Moot & Advocacy Competition, our members have paved the way for another year of students who wish to gain practical and engaging legal experience.

It is our mission to equip our graduates with a deeper understanding of law and the ability to confidently engage with topical legal issues. This coming year, we hope to continue to draw upon our Advocacy Development Programme in inviting leading barristers, advocates and academics to advise our members on improving key legal skills. As noted by William Taylor, the mooting programme has recently put St Andrews “on the legal map.” With the dedicated support of the Law Society, we hope to continue in this tradition.

How to get involved

If you would like to get involved or have any queries about mooting, please get in contact with the Masters of the Moots by emailing them at:

Corinne Vallis (cv41@st-andrews.ac.uk)

Henry Mould (hm236@st-andrews.ac.uk)