Assignment 3: Mooting FAQs

When? Various times and dates - please note the groups/ times on Blackboard. You are only
required to attend your own group’s time slot on the relevant day.

How will groups be chosen? Individuals/ groups have been selected at random: please see
Blackboard for your group and task: i.e. whether you are for the Appellant or the Respondent and
whether you are dealing with the first or the second ground of appeal.

Whilst each group will consist of two advocates on each side, they will be equal in status, not 'lead'
and 'junior' advocates.

NB It is the responsibility of the advocate pursuing the first ground of appeal to introduce the
other advocates and the case and they will have additional time in which to do this.

The moot may be assessed by a single judge or a panel of judges.

The facts of the moot and the formalities to be complied with are as set out in the problem and the
accompanying notes and are not subject to dispute. As regards the moot problem, please do not
engage in unwarranted speculation.

Timing and speeches - speeches shall proceed in the follow order:

First ground of appeal - 6 minutes (to allow for introductions and a brief explanation of the facts)

Response to first ground of appeal - 5 minutes

Second ground of appeal - 5 minutes

Response to second ground of appeal - 5 minutes

There will be no right of reply, but the judge/ panel may direct questions to any/ all advocate(s).
Such questions will form part of the assessment task, but will not reduce in any way the allocated
time for speeches.

NB Just as in court, the judge may ask a question at any point during your address and not
necessarily at the end, so be ready to be interrupted!

A one minute warning will be given but any advocate exceeding the time for their speech risks not
just being cut short but also being penalised in the sense that if they have not covered a point in the
time available then it may be disregarded by the court.

Because this is an assessed exercise there will be no judgment delivered and thus no declared
winner of either the legal case or the moot. However, feedback and grades will be provided to
individual students in due course after the event.

What will I be assessed on? Advocates will be assessed individually on: oral skills, legal clarity, the
skeleton argument submitted covering their respective ground of appeal and on the quality of the
‘bundle’ submitted (see below). The skeleton argument should be no more than one page.
What if my fellow advocate(s) goes ‘AWOL’/ does not engage with the task? It will not matter –
there are 2 grounds of appeal and each individual in the group will pursue their designated ground
of appeal or the corresponding response. Accordingly, if no appeal or response is presented it will
not matter as the issues to be addressed, whether as appellant or respondent, are clear and capable
of standing alone.

What do I need to do? As individuals, research your arguments and perfect your skeleton arguments
and bundles. A ‘bundle’ (incorporating the skeleton argument) is to be submitted by email to the
tutor hearing the moot by 5pm the day before the moot.

Each individual shall be entitled to refer to a maximum of six case law authorities in their skeleton
arguments. This does not include any statutes, texts or articles considered relevant. The names and
citations of the documents relied on by each individual must also be included in each individual’s
skeleton argument.

In order to save expense (and the planet) you need not copy/ reproduce the entire case. You need
only copy the very first page of the case you intend to rely on for your bundle (‘the header’) plus the
page being quoted from or referred to by you plus one page before and after that specific page.

Further information on composition of the bundle: partial copies (see above) of any authorities to
be specifically quoted from/ relied upon directly in submissions must be included in ‘the bundle’ for
the court. These bundles must be paginated so that the judge can be directed to and find the correct
page instantly. If a particular section is to be quoted, it should not only be copied but also
highlighted as well.

Anything else? A moot is a mock court room and therefore a very formal environment. Whilst this
does not mean that you need to go out and buy a new a whole new wardrobe, it does mean that you
should dress accordingly. You must arrive also promptly for your moot (the court will not wait for
you) and if the moot is online please ensure that the camera and the microphone that you intend to
use are fully enabled in advance of your designated moot session.