Moot Courts > About moot courts

About moot courts 

Moot courts are fictive courts where teams of law students from universities worldwide compete against each other as counsel for the defence and counsel for the prosecution and present their cases to a professional panel of judges in a courtroom.

The team with the most convincing arguments and best rhetorical skills wins. Teams of students prepare in close collaboration - and with intense professional guidance from rhetoricians and attorneys.

Most moot courts consist of both written and oral parts:

Preparing pleadings

Often the teams begin working on the cases in September, when most moot court cases are published. This is a period of intense research, studying and writing. The prepared pleadings are submitted from mid-November until mid-January. 

Each team has two academic advisors assigned for the entire period. The academic advisors have law degrees and typically work as attorneys in legal firms or Ministries. As a rule, they have taken part in a moot court themselves while studying, and therefore have plenty of experience in the field. The teams meet regularly with their advisors and receive feedback and advice on their work.

The deadlines for the written proceedings vary from one moot court to another but are between October and March.

Oral proceedings

After the pleadings have been submitted, the teams begin preparing for the oral proceedings. Each team receives tailored tuition in presentation and rhetorical skills. The team must expect to spend a lot of time on intense training right up until departing for the moot court. 

The oral proceedings take place at locations such as Vienna, the Hague (The Peace Palace) or in Washington D.C.