International law mooting involves the debate of a fictitious international legal problem. An international law moot usually includes the preparation of written submissions, as well as the presentation of oral arguments to a panel of judges.

Edinburgh Law School ordinarily enters a team into one of the international mooting competitions that take place every year, such as the ELSA Moot Court (EMC²), the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition or the Telders International Law Moot Court Competition.

Taking part in a mooting competition is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about a particular area of law, as well as developing legal writing and advocacy skills. Here's what some former participants have to say:

“Taking part in the Jessup moot was a fantastic experience for the whole team and well worth the hard work it took to get the memorial finished on time! I would highly recommend any student interested in international law to take part.”

Charlotte McCubbin, Third Year Law and Politics Student, 2006.

“The competition is very tough and demands dedication and commitment. However, there are lots of benefits. I have become good friends with my fellow team mates as well as with other competitors and academics from some of the top universities around the world”

Alexander Kobakhidze, Fourth Year Law and Economics Student, 2007.

For more information on international law mooting opportunities at the Edinburgh Law School, please contact Dr James Harrison (Room 371).

Other mooting opportunities are also available through the Edinburgh University Mooting Society.

May 2009: Results of the 2009 Telders International Law Mooting Competition

The finals of the 2009 Telders International Law Mooting Competition took place at The Hague on 16-18 April 2009. Edinburgh Law School was represented by Stephen Bailey, Yara Saab, Fiona Todd, and Briana West. The competition was ultimately won by the University of Novi Sad (Serbia) who beat the University of Vienna (Austria) in the final. Full details of the results can be found on the competition website.

The Edinburgh team and coach outside of the Peace Palace.  More photos.

October 2008: International Law Mooting Opportunities

It is that time of year again when we are looking for people to represent Edinburgh Law School in international law mooting competitions. In the past few years we had some fairly successful teams (see news archive) and we are hoping that this year will also see some success. Participants will have the opportunity to develop their written and oral advocacy skills, as well as the chance to meet students and experts in international law from around the world.

This year we hope to enter a team of up to four students into the Telders International Law Mooting Competition. The problem for this competition involves questions of international environmental law, international law of the sea and international law of treaties. If successful, participants may have the opportunity to travel to The Hague and to moot at the International Court of Justice.

Anyone who is interested or who has further questions should contact Dr James Harrison by 12 October. Unfortunately, only undergraduate students are permitted to enter this competition. A limited number of places are available and it may be necessary to carry out a selection process.

April 2008: Results of the Telders International Law Mooting Competition 2007/2008

The finals of the Telders International Law Mooting Competition 2007/2008 took place at The Hague on 10-12 April 2008. The competition was won by Leiden University. The team from Edinburgh Law School did well, coming 16th in the competition overall. Freya Beamish and Melissa Serbin gave a particularly distinguished performance, winning The Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuyn Award for Best Oral Argumentation on behalf of the Respondent. Full details of the results can be found on the competition website.

January 2008: Telders 2007/2008 Update

The team of students taking part in the Telders International Law Moot Court Competition have submitted their memorials and counter-memorials in the Case Concerning the Aerial Accident. Their written submissions will be judged by an International Board of Review. The team will now start practising their oral arguments in preparation for their trip to The Hague. As the only Scottish team in the competition, the team will proceed straight to the final stages of the competition which will take place at the seat of the International Court of Justice from 9-12 April.

November 2007: Telders International Law Moot Court Competition 2007/2008

We are pleased to announce the entry of a team in the 2007/2008 Telders International Law Moot Court Competition. Four undergraduate students - Freya Beamish, Emily Freeman, Melissa Serbin and Roxanna Kashfi - will be representing Edinburgh Law School. The moot problem involves questions of state responsibility, the law of treaties, and international air law. Further details of their progress in the competition will be posted on this site.

June 2007: ELSA WTO Moot Court Competition 2006/2007

A team of four students from Edinburgh University participated in the Final Oral Rounds of the ELSA WTO Moot Court Competition in Geneva on 1-6 May 2007. Charlie, Sasha, Tobi, and Fernando (as pictured) had already successfully taken part in the UK and European Rounds of the competition. The Edinburgh team came seventh in the competition overall, the top-ranked UK university in the competition. Particularly impressive performances were given by Tobi and Sasha who came second and third respectively in the ranking of individual oralists.

The competition was won by the University of Melbourne who beat the University of Hong Kong in the Grand Final. Further details can be found on the competition website. Aside from participating in the competition, the team members visited the UK Mission in Geneva to meet the Head of Mission, as well as the UK’s negotiator in the Doha Round of Trade Negotiations.

June 2007: Wilhelm Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot 2006/2007

A team of nine LLM students travelled to Vienna in March to participate in the Wilhelm Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Competition. The Edinburgh team included Caroline Bauer, Tilman Hertel, Aini Juopperi, Jin Zuan-Xuan, Li Wiejuan, David Root, Wang Xiaojie, Yang Yang, Zhao Jing-Jing, Zheng Yili. The students were pitted against 178 teams from 51 countries.