The 2020 moot was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the problem for that moot used for an online competition in March 2021. At the time of release of this problem, it is planned that the 2022 oral rounds will take place as a purely in-person event in Oxford in March 2022. The schedule will be finalised once we have a sense of team numbers, meaning that the following is subject to change: but we anticipate welcoming teams on the evening of Wednesday 16 March, and then mooting from Thursday 17 to Saturday 19 March 2022. We appreciate that circumstances can change, sometimes rapidly, and that teams will not know, for sure, whether they will be able to travel to Oxford in March. Interested teams are nevertheless encouraged to make written submissions, as making a submission does not require that teams pay any money or commit to their availability to travel. If a team wins a memorial prize but finds itself unable to come to Oxford, it will still receive its prize. We will also notify teams immediately if, due to changed regulations in the UK or worsening Covid conditions, we need to change plans for the oral rounds.
Registration and Eligibility
-
Subject to §1A, the Moot is open to students who are enrolled on a full-time or part-time basis in a higher education degree, provided that: such course is not a research degree in law; they have not been admitted or licensed to practise law in any jurisdiction; and they are enrolled at their institution at the date of the Oral Proceedings, or at an earlier time as permitted at the discretion of the OC. Members of the OC are not eligible to participate as mooters, even if they otherwise meet the requirements of §1. Note to §1: prospective entrants who have any inquiries about eligibility are advised to contact the Moot Secretary at [moot@oiprc.ox.ac.uk] at their earliest convenience. The OC has received inquiries in the past about the status of paralegals, law clerks, and patent/trade mark agents. Merely being employed as a paralegal or clerk will not usually fall within the exclusion
-
in §1, as such positions are often held prior to (or without) being admitted to practice. The status of patent and trade mark agents will depend on the rules in the particular jurisdiction, and the OC will advise on a case-by-case basis.
-
Any entrant into the Moot is required to declare, when registering for the Oral Rounds, that they are eligible to compete under §1. Anyone considered by the OC to have misrepresented their eligibility will be subject to an appropriate penalty determined by the OC, which penalty may include disqualification from the competition. It is strongly recommended that those wishing to apply for discretion under §1(c) should apply in writing for such a determination prior to entering their written submissions. Such applications should be addressed to the Moot Secretary at [moot@oiprc.ox.ac.uk].
-
A university or other higher education institution may only enter one team for the Moot. A team comprises two or three team members, each eligible under §1. The same team must prepare the written submissions and appear in the Oral Proceedings. It is a matter for teams to decide which members speak (if at all) and in what order.
-
A team may be supported by a third party or parties who fulfill a mentoring or coaching role. Any such individual must not make any substantive contribution to the preparation of written submissions nor contribute during Oral Proceedings. For the avoidance of doubt, observers are not required to meet the conditions of §1.
-
On registration, each team undertakes to submit all documentation in good time to meet the deadlines set out in these rules. Additionally, each team undertakes to arrange timely payment of any fees. Late submission of any documentation or payment may lead to sanctions determined by the OC to be appropriate, including disqualification from all or part of the competition.
-
Entry to the Written Phase is free of charge. Each team that accepts an invitation to take part in the Oral Proceedings is required to pay a moot registration fee of £450. This subsidized fee covers, amongst other things, registration of the team in the competition, drinks at the Official Welcome on Thursday night, attendance (including food and drinks) at the ‘Show and Taste’ lecture and dinner on Friday night, and attendance (including food and drinks) at the Saturday night Grand Final Dinner. If a team does not pay the registration fee by the date indicated in the invitation letter, it risks forfeiting its place in the competition. Teams are therefore advised to have their finances in place prior to the sending of invitation letters by the OC.
-
Any observers travelling with the team will be required to pay a separate registration fee, calculated on a cost-recovery basis. Details about the fee and arrangements for observers will be released separately on the moot website.
-
Each team will be responsible for paying its own accommodation costs. The OC will make arrangements for bed and breakfast accommodation to be available at the host college (Pembroke College) at a discounted rate. Specific details regarding accommodation options will be released separately on the moot website. Teams will be able to book accommodation at the host college when registering for the Moot.
-
A team is deemed to have applied to enter the Oral Proceedings when a completed team registration form has been received by the Moot Secretary. A team is deemed to have registered for the Oral Proceedings when all of the team registration form, a mooter registration form for each team member, and all the requisite fees as laid out in these rules, have been received Teams are entirely responsible for their own immigration arrangements. The OC can provide letters of invitation to help with visa applications, but teams are fully responsible for requesting these in good time to meet the appropriate deadlines. It is strongly recommended that such arrangements be commenced immediately after invitation to the Oral Proceedings. Teams unable to attend the Oral Proceedings because immigration arrangements were not made in good time will not be eligible for a refund of any fees for the Moot.
-
If a team finds itself unable to participate in the Oral Proceedings (for instance, because of Covid-related restrictions on travel), it should inform the Moot Secretary immediately. If that team has already paid registration fees, the OC may, at its discretion, refund those fees in whole or in part. The OC may also, at its discretion, allow that team to remain eligible for an award relating to written submissions. If a team that has registered for the Oral Proceedings fails to attend the Oral Proceedings without providing any notification or explanation to the OC, it will be deemed to have withdrawn from the Moot. That team will no longer be considered for any awards, including
-
those relating to written submissions.
-
Participation in the Oral Proceedings is by invitation only. Except as set out in this provision, invitations will be issued on the basis of the results of the Written Phase (below, §14- §19). The total number of teams invited will be at the discretion of the OC. As an indication, the OC invited twenty-four teams in 2017 and twenty-eight teams in each of 2018 and 2019, including the winner of the Canadian Fox Moot. The OC will also contact potential reservists, being the teams that finished next highest in the Written Phase. Those teams will each be asked whether they wish to be considered for an invitation to the Oral Proceedings if a place becomes available under §11. The winner of the previous year’s Canadian Fox Moot will be granted entry into the Moot, provided they meet the eligibility requirements of §1. They will tender written submissions, and will accordingly be considered for awards for such submissions alongside other entrants. They will automatically gain an invitation to the Oral Proceedings.
-
If a team invited under §10 has to withdraw from the Moot or is otherwise disqualified, one of the reserve teams under §10 may, at the discretion of the OC, be invited to the Oral Proceedings.
-
Should a member of a team have individually to withdraw from the Moot, the remaining team members may continue in the Moot (if the team originally comprised three mooters) or withdraw from the Moot (if the team originally comprised two mooters). The team may apply in writing to the OC for permission to substitute a new team member. The OC will have complete discretion in deciding whether to accept this request
Awards
The following prizes will be awarded:
The Allen & Overy Winner, Oral Proceedings
Runner Up, Oral Proceedings
8 New Square Winner, Best Written Submissions
The 2nd and 3rd place Powell Gilbert runners-up will also be announced
Best Individual Mooter in the Preliminary Rounds (the Sir Nicholas Pumfrey Award)
To be eligible, a mooter must have spoken in at least three moots in the preliminary rounds
Ranking will be undertaken by reference to the average score achieved by each eligible mooter in the preliminary rounds
Where a mooter participated in three moots, the average score will be calculated using those three moots; where a mooter participated in four moots, the average score will be calculated using the best three moots
The 2nd-5th place Herbert Smith Freehills runners-up will also be announced
Highest Ranked Team After the Preliminary Rounds
Best Newcomers Award
This award will be given to the highest-ranked team after the preliminary rounds representing an institution that: (1) has never participated at the Oral Proceedings; or (2) last participated at the Oral Proceedings in March 2018 or earlier.
If, under these rules, there are only three eligible teams or fewer, the OC may at its discretion expand the eligibility rules.
Professor David Vaver Spirit of the Moot Award
This award will be given to team that best embodies the spirit of mooting, having regard to such qualities as camaraderie, perseverance, respect of fellow competitors, passion, and academic excellence. The winner will be selected by reference to a vote of teams at the Oral Proceedings, along with feedback from judge
