Mooting

Put your theoretical learning into practice

Our students have the opportunity to participate in a range of law mooting competitions as part of their study.

What is mooting?

Mooting involves students working as a team to prepare documents and oral argument on a set legal problem against opposing counsel and before a judge. This extracurricular activity provides our students with a taste of what it is like to engage in court proceedings.

Law moots

There are a range of law moots that students can get involved in as part of their study at the Sydney Law School. Participation in these moots contribute towards units of study and the standard credit points will apply. 

Jessup International Law Moot

Sydney Law School students compete annually in the world's most prestigious international law mooting competition, the Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition, and have done so with great success.

Sydney Law School holds the world record for Jessup Cup victories, being named world champions in Washington DC in 1996, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2017 and 2021.

The Jessup Moot provides competitors with an unparalleled opportunity to work closely in a team to represent fictional States in a hypothetical case before the International Court of Justice on cutting-edge areas of international law.

Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot

The University of Sydney Law School also enters a team each year in the Willem C. Vis Moot International Commercial Arbitration Moot Competition, which is a prestigious and widely recognised international mooting competition.

The Vis Moot concerns a transnational commercial dispute governed by the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, and the method of dispute settlement is by international commercial arbitration.

Tokyo Negotiation and Arbitration Moot

The Tokyo Negotiation and Arbitration Moot enables students to compete internationally in simulated bilateral negotiation and arbitration of a hypothetical scenario. Students may register in either the English-language or Japanese-language section of this moot.

Students also have the opportunity to participant in other moots through the Sydney University Law Society as extracurricular activity. 

International Maritime Law Arbitration Moot (IMLAM)

The International Maritime Law Arbritration Moot (IMLAM) is a competition in commercial maritime law with up to 40 international law schools competing each year.

The moot problem typically involves a commercial shipping dispute, to be determined by an arbitral panel. The problem is designed to incorporate difficult but realistic issues of substantive maritime law in an arbitration context.

The moot is well supported by the maritime industry and maritime law firms. The venue for the competition moves between Europe, Asia and Australia law schools.

The Sydney Law School will host the competition in 2025 and 2026.