Two students at Dartmouth House
The Swansea Law School Communication Skills Programme has had a fantastic year with 2 domestic and 1 international championships this year, and third year students Tegan Bennett and Maren Julian came close to a third domestic title by reaching the final of the English Speakers Union/Essex Court Chambers Mooting Competition. In finishing second they became the most successful Swansea team in this competition and reaffirmed the strength of the skills programme at the law school.
The competition is the flagship mooting competition in the United Kingdom with 64 spaces being available and Universities often fielding their strongest teams. The path to the final, and the Royal Courts of Justice, started in January and saw a squad of 4 (with senior status final year Naomi Headley and second year student Colm Yethon joining Tegan and Maren) move past teams from Winchester and Cardiff before overcoming Bristol University in the quarter-finals.
That led the team to London for Finals Day, along with the Sussex University, Liverpool John Moores University and Leicester University. The scenario was a complex commercial law problem that focused on a 2024 High Court decision and required a considerable amount of preparation on appropriate measures of damages and the relevance of remoteness. In the semi finals, grilled by an impressive panel of Charlie Ciumei KC and Barrie Goldstone from London Metropolitan University, the team performed admirably and were rewarded with progression to the Grand Final, where they would face Leicester.
They were able to prepare in the afternoon thanks to Conference Rooms generously provided by Essex Court Chambers and then competed in the Final against Leicester in Court 7 of the Royal Courts of Justice, in front of a panel consisting of Lady Justice Andrews, Mr Justice Bryan, and Paul Stanley KC. They coped with insightful interventions and defended their case robustly, receiving high praise for their adaptability and calmness under pressure. In the end they were narrowly defeated by a very strong Leicester team, who had conducted themselves with exemplary professionalism throughout the entire day and with whom Tegan and Maren enjoyed conversing before and after the moot.
Maren and Tegan received the offer of mini pupillages at Essex Court Chambers as well as prize money and the runners up shield and benefitted greatly from their experience.
Speaking about the experience, Maren said that “"Competing in the ESU-Essex Court Chambers Competition was a fantastic experience, and I am very proud to have represented Swansea in the final. A special thanks to the faculty involved with the Communication Skills Programme and the leadership teams at Swansea University for their unwavering support throughout the competition. I would recommend mooting to every law student!"
For current or prospective students interested in learning more about the Swansea Law School Communication Skills Programme, contact Matthew Parry