The University of Lincoln Law Society was proud to host the final of the Stone Shield Mooting Competition at the Supreme Court, London on Tuesday 8 April.
Organised by Master of Moots Louis Harman, Mistress of Moots Rhiannon Lock and Mooting Officer Thomas Mitchell, the event was entirely student led and served as a fitting finale to this year’s mooting competition.
Finalists had the honour of being judged by the most senior female judge in the UK, the Right Honourable Baroness Brenda Hale of Richmond, who provided insightful and witty judgment throughout an incredibly tense finale.
The finalists faced heavy and detailed questioning from Lady Hale, who was judging them based on their ability to respond to her interventions clearly and calmly.
She put the competitors through their paces and noted her role as a judge was “…meant to make life difficult, we do that in this room”. She also praised all of them for keeping cool heads under the pressure, and promised that she “wasn’t usually this aggressive”.
The Supreme Court is the highest court of appeal for the UK, providing a suitably grandiose and historical setting for the conclusion of this year’s competition.
Despite losing the case on both grounds, the overall winners of the competition based on mooting skills were Second Year Law students Daniel MacNally and Gavindeep Samra, lauded particularly for their flexibility in responding to Lady Hale’s questioning.
Congratulations also go out to First Year Law students George Joseph and Michael Ruddick for being the runners up in what has been an incredibly successful and highly competitive year of mooting.
Our thanks go out to all who participated in the SSMC and other mooting competitions throughout this year. It has been a brilliant turnout and all participants displayed a keen acuity for Law which everyone in the Society and Law School can be proud of.
Mistress of Moots Rhiannon Lock said: “Watching the mooters handle themselves calmly, professionally and with obvious knowledge of their case and submissions was a very proud moment for me, as we have been watching these students develop as advocates all year.
“Lady Hale may have been relentless in her interrogation of the competitors but as she said at the end, it was the best test to see who understood the case and how they would meet the objections they faced.
University of Lincoln Law Society
The University of Lincoln Law Society is the largest academic society on campus and delivers a varied range of events and opportunities to enhance students’ time at university. These include prestigious formal events, workshops on employability, guest lectures and more. You can find out more on our website at www.lincolnlawsoc.com, on Facebook www.facebook.com/lincolnlawsoc and you can keep up to date by following us on Twitter www.twitter.com/lincolnlawsoc
Jack Maddock
Vice President | University of Lincoln Law Society