Student enrichment: Increase in Monash Law Faculty’s mooting involvement with new mooting program

Given the highly competitive market for law firm clerkships, industry experience and job opportunities, the Faculty has adopted a new three-tiered strategy to enhance the advocacy and mooting skills and experiences of our Law students.

The three-tiered strategy involves (1) introducing advocacy skills into several core units to provide a minimum level of competency in advocacy for all students, (2) providing co-ordinated Faculty support for students to further develop their advocacy skills by continuing to offer elective units, such as Trial Practice and Advocacy, and supporting and incorporating the various competitions run by the Law Students Society into the Faculty’s advocacy program, and (3) providing opportunities for the best and most enthusiastic students to gain elite advocacy experience by participating in a range of national and international competitions (in addition to the Jessup and Vis Moots).

Further, this year, there will be a new unit introduced which students will be able to take as an elective subject – “Mooting and Advocacy Competition”.  Although students were previously able to enter competitions on their own initiative, the Faculty is now providing its support.

As a result of this new approach, 34 students participated in mooting last year (an increase from the previous average of 6-10 students) and almost half of these students were in their first two years of study, giving them early exposure to advocacy and mooting. Further, 11 students have been selected to participate in the Jessup and Vis Moots.

The involvement last year in external mooting competitions beyond the Jessup and Vis Moots has been possible because of the financial support and generosity of the Law School Foundation and the tremendous effort and generosity of Monash Law Faculty staff, who have borne this an additional commitment.

We wish to thank the Law School Foundation and those of you contributing to the Foundation for your continued support, as well as the Faculty staff for their dedication and great work.