One of the earliest projects of the Swansea University Law School’s Communication Skills Programme was to reintroduce the Wales Mooting Competition after being dormant for too long. In 2021 it was re-launched for the first time and since then it has rotated around Wales with a different University hosting every year. In that time there has been a gradual increase in both University participation and numbers of students able to compete from each University.
This year, for the first time, it was brilliant to be able to organise the event from the beautiful campus at Bangor University. There were other firsts as well: alongside perennial entrants Swansea, Cardiff, and Aberystwyth (all of whom have competed in every edition), and the hosts, entering for their second year, we were delighted to welcome Wrexham University for the first time. In total there were nine teams from five Universities as we get closer to an event that includes every University in Wales. Another first was the composition of the judging panels- for the first time every round from the first preliminary to the final was judged by a member of the judiciary and we were grateful to welcome District Judges, Circuit Judges, a Recorder and a High Court Judge, Mr Justice Nicklin. This contributed significantly to the experience that the competing students gained, and possibly to their trepidation ahead of making their submissions!
The day started, in stunning sunshine, with the nine teams competing in two preliminary heats across three sessions. Every round was based off the same moot problem: a fictional parking ticket cases that involved a question if incorporation and one of proportionality. The standard was high- fortunately the free parking provided meant that no judge was making a decision under the implicit duress that they themselves may have been ticketed while presiding!
After the morning session the top 4 scoring teams progressed to the semi-finals. Two teams had won both of their moots: Cardiff 1 and Swansea 1 (our own Honee Crocker- 3rd year- and Katie Cooper- 2nd year) while tie-breaks determined the remaining quarter-finalists: Cardiff 2 and Bangor 2, both of whom had one win and one loss. The second Swansea team (Wyn Barrett and Aimee McCullagh- both 2nd years) were one of the teams to narrowly miss out in the tie-break after also recording one win and one loss in the preliminary rounds.
The semi-finals upped the stakes with the clock paused for judicial intervention and this ensured that the judges were able to test the teams still further. The moots were fought with great determination and all of the students received high praise. In the all-Cardiff semi-final, Cardiff 2 prevailed (Madeleine Teoh and Josie Davis) while in the Bangor-Swansea tie, the Swansea team progressed to the Final, setting up a repeat of the previous year’s final match. While the semi-finals were ongoing, the teams that did not qualify were able to enjoy a talk on advocacy focusing on the perspectives of the judges and their everyday expectations in court.
The final was presided over by Mr Justice Matthew Nicklin, Her Honour Judge Wendy Owen, and His Honour Judge Gareth Jones, with all other competitors, coaches and judges able to watch. The final was closely fought but ended with Cardiff retaining the trophy (and just about making the last train home!) Huge congratulations to all who competed, in particular the Swansea teams for their superb preparation. All four were making their competitive inter-varsity mooting debuts and they all performed to an exceptionally high standard.