Bond University’s National High School Mooting Competition
Bond University’s Faculty of Law conducts an annual mooting competition involving student representatives from secondary schools around Australia.
A moot is a legal argument conducted by opposing teams before one or more judges. The argument involves the application of legal rules to fact situations like those dealt with by the courts every day. The contest is decided by assessing the advocacy skills of the participants, rather than on the merits of the case.
The competition is designed to challenge students to prepare, articulate and defend complex arguments in order to solve problems. More generally, it introduces the students to the courtroom environment and gives them some insight into the workings of the legal system. It is not only intended for those students who are interested in a career in law – although they will undoubtedly find the competition to be of particular interest – but for all students keen to expand their horizons.
The winning team from the regional rounds will win a trip to the Gold Coast to compete in the Finals. The team who wins the Grand Final, along with three additional students judged the ‘top individual advocates’ in the competition, will be offered 40% scholarships to undertake a Bachelor of Laws degree at Bond University upon completing year 12.
More importantly, mooting – or running a mock court case – can be very fun and this competition is excellent practice for constructing and presenting arguments, developing a detailed understanding of courts, advocacy and the law, and extending you oral communication skills.
Of course none of this comes easily, so please note that significant preparation is required for this competition.
More information can be found on the Bond University website: