“The Mooters” is a weekly series where Bar & Bench interviews the Moot Court Committees of different law schools in the country. .In this piece, the team from National Law Institute University, Bhopal talks about the selection process followed, challenges faced while organising a moot and the benefits of mooting for a law student..Bar & Bench: How are members inducted into the Moot Court Committee and what are their main responsibilities? .NLIU, Bhopal: The Moot Court Association is a committee constituted of two students each from the first to the fifth year of the B.A.LL.B course and a Faculty-in-charge. Students from the first year are chosen through a two-stage process involving debate rounds and an interview, while the students from the other years are directly elected by their respective batch mates..The MCA is a democratic body wherein all members are required to be a part of the decision-making process regarding mooting policies. Further, the members are responsible for the organisation of all mooting activities that take place in the University. These activities include the organisation of internal pool selections, intra-University moot court competition, national moot court competitions, organising classes on drafting of memorials, orientation sessions for freshers etc. The Convenor/Co-convenor may allot specific responsibilities to specific students at the beginning of the session..B&B: What is the process of organizing an inter-college moot court competition? How do you find sponsors?.NLIU: Planning and preparation for a moot begin close to four months prior to the competition. The process of organisation broadly consists of the following:.1. Completion of formalities with the University administration and the firm/office – permission, preparation and approval of the budget, finalisation of dates of the competition..2. Drafting of the moot problem.3. Announcement of the competition and release of the problem and rules.4. Sending out invitations to judges.5. Finalising the hotels for accommodation of teams, caterer, local transport providers etc..6. Call for volunteers from among the student community and the formation of committees to handle various tasks, such as registration of teams, transportation, accommodation, hospitality, inaugural and valedictory ceremonies and courtroom management..7. Registration of teams and allotment of team codes etc. and receiving memorial submissions..8. Preparation of bench memorial and materials for briefing of judges and the researchers test paper..9. Evaluation of memorial submissions and answer sheets of the researchers test..10. Ensuring courtrooms have proper infrastructure for the Oral Rounds.11. Payment to various entities and settlement of funds after the completion of the moot..Fortunately, we receive financial assistance from the administration as well as from the firm/office with whose collaboration the moot is being organised. Hence, we do not need sponsors..B&B: How do you select judges for the various rounds?.NLIU: For preliminary as well as post-break rounds, we usually approach the faculty of our University and our alumni having at least 1-2 years of experience in the legal profession (either litigation or corporate). Further into the competition, the seniority and reputation of the judges increase. Generally, the semi-final rounds are judged by a panel of three judges consisting of senior Alumni and Associates, who are exclusively reserved for the same. The final rounds are judged by a panel of five judges including Judges of the High Courts and Supreme Court, academicians, Partners of firms and senior faculty of the University. .B&B: In your opinion, how does mooting benefit a law student?.NLIU: At NLIU, we believe that mooting is an intrinsic part of the law school experience, as it enables a student to understand the practical application of the law. It not only requires dealing with the subtle nuances of the law but also strengthens the oratory and persuasive skills of the student. Further, it facilitates reading aspects of the law that are not necessarily prescribed as part of the curriculum..The Moot Court Association of National Law Institute University, Bhopal for 2014-2015 comprises faculty-in-charge Dr. Kondaiah Jonalagadda, Smriti Tripathi, Shashwat Sharma, Suriti Chowdhary, Rohan Harne, Sonal Mashankar, Shivank Vermani, Praharsh Johorey, Aishwarya Choudhary, Avani Mishra and Shivani Swami..(If you would like your college moot court team to be featured, send us a mail at shreya@barandbench.com)
“The Mooters” is a weekly series where Bar & Bench interviews the Moot Court Committees of different law schools in the country. .In this piece, the team from National Law Institute University, Bhopal talks about the selection process followed, challenges faced while organising a moot and the benefits of mooting for a law student..Bar & Bench: How are members inducted into the Moot Court Committee and what are their main responsibilities? .NLIU, Bhopal: The Moot Court Association is a committee constituted of two students each from the first to the fifth year of the B.A.LL.B course and a Faculty-in-charge. Students from the first year are chosen through a two-stage process involving debate rounds and an interview, while the students from the other years are directly elected by their respective batch mates..The MCA is a democratic body wherein all members are required to be a part of the decision-making process regarding mooting policies. Further, the members are responsible for the organisation of all mooting activities that take place in the University. These activities include the organisation of internal pool selections, intra-University moot court competition, national moot court competitions, organising classes on drafting of memorials, orientation sessions for freshers etc. The Convenor/Co-convenor may allot specific responsibilities to specific students at the beginning of the session..B&B: What is the process of organizing an inter-college moot court competition? How do you find sponsors?.NLIU: Planning and preparation for a moot begin close to four months prior to the competition. The process of organisation broadly consists of the following:.1. Completion of formalities with the University administration and the firm/office – permission, preparation and approval of the budget, finalisation of dates of the competition..2. Drafting of the moot problem.3. Announcement of the competition and release of the problem and rules.4. Sending out invitations to judges.5. Finalising the hotels for accommodation of teams, caterer, local transport providers etc..6. Call for volunteers from among the student community and the formation of committees to handle various tasks, such as registration of teams, transportation, accommodation, hospitality, inaugural and valedictory ceremonies and courtroom management..7. Registration of teams and allotment of team codes etc. and receiving memorial submissions..8. Preparation of bench memorial and materials for briefing of judges and the researchers test paper..9. Evaluation of memorial submissions and answer sheets of the researchers test..10. Ensuring courtrooms have proper infrastructure for the Oral Rounds.11. Payment to various entities and settlement of funds after the completion of the moot..Fortunately, we receive financial assistance from the administration as well as from the firm/office with whose collaboration the moot is being organised. Hence, we do not need sponsors..B&B: How do you select judges for the various rounds?.NLIU: For preliminary as well as post-break rounds, we usually approach the faculty of our University and our alumni having at least 1-2 years of experience in the legal profession (either litigation or corporate). Further into the competition, the seniority and reputation of the judges increase. Generally, the semi-final rounds are judged by a panel of three judges consisting of senior Alumni and Associates, who are exclusively reserved for the same. The final rounds are judged by a panel of five judges including Judges of the High Courts and Supreme Court, academicians, Partners of firms and senior faculty of the University. .B&B: In your opinion, how does mooting benefit a law student?.NLIU: At NLIU, we believe that mooting is an intrinsic part of the law school experience, as it enables a student to understand the practical application of the law. It not only requires dealing with the subtle nuances of the law but also strengthens the oratory and persuasive skills of the student. Further, it facilitates reading aspects of the law that are not necessarily prescribed as part of the curriculum..The Moot Court Association of National Law Institute University, Bhopal for 2014-2015 comprises faculty-in-charge Dr. Kondaiah Jonalagadda, Smriti Tripathi, Shashwat Sharma, Suriti Chowdhary, Rohan Harne, Sonal Mashankar, Shivank Vermani, Praharsh Johorey, Aishwarya Choudhary, Avani Mishra and Shivani Swami..(If you would like your college moot court team to be featured, send us a mail at shreya@barandbench.com)
