Moot Court Competitions
Moot Courts are a unique opportunity for students to experience a court proceedings first-hand. Moot courts test not only legal skills, research, legal writing and oral advocacy, but also competitiveness and team spirit. It is a unique experience, with the core aim of gaining practical experience under the guidance of experienced coaches. Participation in the moot court involves students having to study and analyse a fictitious case in detail and formulate persuasive arguments on behalf of the parties involved, using case law and other sources of law, both in writing (students submit written submissions meeting strict formal criteria of a real court filing) and orally (students present their arguments to a panel of experts - the 'judges').
Through these simulations, students have the opportunity to gain valuable practical experience in preparing a logical and well-structured legal text, and learn how to present convincingly without stage fright and nervousness.
You can become a member of a competition team that will represent the Faculty of Law at one of the international moot court competitions (and, if successful, you will travel to an international round of the competition in question).
Notes:
English Master's degree students: The information provided here concerns specifically the application procedure and participation in competition teams, representing the Faculty of Law on international moot court competitions. While students of the English-language degrees are required to participate in moot courts as regular study courses (in first and second year of English-language Master's degree), the information provided herein is applicable to them only insofar as they opt to apply for a competition team, and are selected to represent Faculty of Law in one of the international moot court competitions. If students of English-language degrees that are obliged to participate in moot courts opt to participate as non-competing members, or are not selected in the selection procedure as team members, the details of their participation in moot courts will be provided by the their study department (ERASMUS+ office), after consulting with the moot court coaches.
English degree students: While students in first and second year of English-language Master's degree are obliged to participate in moot courts as study courses (and they can choose to apply for a team position, or remain non-competing member), students in other year of English-language degree studies are encouraged to apply for position of the competition team members as well.
Visiting students: ERASMUS+ and other foreign visiting students are eligible to apply as moot court competition team members, if the moot court rules allow such students to participate, and provided they apply within the regular application deadlines. Visiting students' applications will be considered only if they remain as visiting students at Comenius University for the duration of the entire competition (traditionally, this requires mobility to last during both winter and summer terms).
Scope: The information on this page refers to international English-language moot courts to which Faculty of Law sends coach-led teams, such as the competitions listed below. In the case of competitions in Slovak or Czech language, it is necessary to contact directly the responsible departments, universities or other organizations that arrange the competitions.
How to apply?
All necessary information can be find here: https://liveuniba.sharepoint.com/sites/PraFMootCourt
Competition Teams
Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Law is proud to give its students opportunities to participate in multiple prestigious international moot court competitions each year.
Although the competition preparations require a lot of time, effort and energy (and participation must be carefully considered), it is also a great and unique opportunity for students to enrich their life with unforgettable experiences, gain new contacts from all over the world and, above all, gain practical experience useful in further professional life, no matter what career path the student chooses.
In addition to sufficient motivation and the willingness to devote yourself fully to the preparation for the competition, knowledge of English at the B2 level minimum is also essential, as the competitions are held in English. Knowledge of other languages is an advantage.
In the following table, we offer an overview of the moot court competitions where students at the Faculty of Law may apply on the basis of an open selection process, for which any students may apply (under the conditions stated above).
| Moot Court | Competition description and official webpage | Estimate timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Telders International Law Moot Court Competition | Proceedings before the International Court of Justice | November: case publication March: written submissions June: oral finals (the Hague, the Netherlands) |
| International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition | Proceedings before the International Criminal Court | September: case publication March: written submissions June: oral finals (the Hague, the Netherlands) |
| Helga Pedersen Moot Court Competition (European Human Rights Moot Court Competition) | Proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights | September: case publication December: written submissions January-February: regional oral rounds May: oral finals (Strasbourg, France) |
| Central and East European Moot Court Competition | Proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union (competition dedicated for CEE universities only) | November: case publication April: written rounds May: oral finals |
In addition to the abovementioned competitions, the coaches of international moot court competitions at the Faculty of Law may decide, in justified cases, to form a competition team for another competition, for which there is no open selection procedure and the applications of applicants will not be accepted without prior agreement with the coaches of the specific competition. Prospective competitors will normally be approached directly by the coaches with an invitation to apply, based on previous experience gained by the candidates in other moot courts. Such a closed selection process is possible in particular in respect of the moot court competitions listed below.
| Moot Court | Competition description and official webpage | Estimate timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition | Proceedings before the International Court of Justice | August: case publication January: written submissions February-March: national oral round, regional friendly rounds April: oral finals (Washington, D.C., USA) |
| All-European International Humanitarian and Refugee Law Moot Court Competition | Series of simulated scenarios in various forms, dedicated to international humanitarian and refugee law. | September: team registration November: competition (Ljubljana, Slovenia) |