Oxford Brookes University mooting team win prestigious national mooting competition

Robert Watt and J Ockenden won the English Speaking Union – Essex Court Chambers National Mooting Competition on Thursday 13 July, defeating the University of Cambridge in the Grand Final held in the Supreme Court. 

This is the fifth time since 2012 that Oxford Brookes has won this highly prestigious national competition. As well as having their names engraved on the Silver Mace, the winners will be awarded a prize of £1,000 each, whilst Oxford Brookes will also receive a donation of £1,000 which will go towards funding future mooting competitions.

The win means that the pair will now represent Oxford Brookes University in October at the Magna Carta Moot, an annual invitation event between the winners of the ESU-ECC National Mooting Competition and the Inner Temple Inter-Varsity Mooting Competition.

This year, for the second time, Oxford Brookes has won both the ESU-ECC National Mooting Competition and the Inner Temple Inter-Varsity Mooting Competition, with Robert making history by featuring in both teams.

Founded in 1972 as the Observer Moot, the ESU-Essex Court Chambers National Mooting Competition, organised by the English-Speaking Union and sponsored by Essex Court Chambers, is the largest and oldest of its kind in the United Kingdom.

Mooting is a traditional method through which law students are introduced to practical experience of courtroom advocacy. All students on academic law programmes in the School of Law have the opportunity to participate in mooting competitions both inside and outside the University.

Marc Howe, Principal Lecturer and University Teaching Fellow in the Oxford Brookes University School of Law said: “It is a great achievement that both these prestigious mooting competitions have been won by Oxford Brookes teams, and it is testament to their hard work and skills as future lawyers.  “To have the Magna Carta Moot between the winners of these two national mooting competitions contested by two Oxford Brookes University teams, is an outstanding achievement and an honour.”