Announcements

Update: 17 September 2013

WE INVITE YOUR LAW SCHOOL TO PARTICIPATE IN
THE FIFTEENTH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL MARITIME LAW ARBITRATION MOOT COMPETITION
4 – 8 July 2014
UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, HONG KONG

The Murdoch University School of Law is pleased to invite your University to compete in the 15th International Maritime Law Arbitration Moot Competition (IMLAM). We are thrilled that the Faculty of Law at University of Hong Kong has agreed to be the IMLAM host for 2015. The University of Hong Kong is the region’s premier law school and is based in the iconic port city of Hong Kong, a centre for maritime arbitration in the region and a gateway to mainland China. We are very grateful to our colleagues at University of Hong Kong for agreeing to host the moot.

The moot is a competition open to any students enrolled in a law degree (either undergraduate or postgraduate) who have not been admitted to practice. The moot problem will involve a dispute relating to commercial maritime law and the controversy will be determined before an arbitral tribunal pursuant to the L.M.A.A. terms or other recognised terms. Students need not have previously studied maritime law and in fact several past winning teams had no prior knowledge of maritime law before undertaking the moot. The moot is exceptionally well supported by the maritime industry and maritime law firms.

An enjoyable social program accompanies the competition to enable students to forge contacts with students from other law schools and meet with senior members of the profession and the maritime industry. We pride ourselves on running a friendly but intellectually rigorous competition which gives a real insight into this fascinating and important area of law, as well as honing the advocacy skills of student teams.

Details of the competition, together with the registration form for 2014, will be available online at: http://www.law.murdoch.edu.au/maritimemoot/index.html in early october. The website also contains the problem from previous year and the winning memoranda.

In 2013, the event was held in England for the first time, at University of Southampton. A record 24 teams from 10 nations competed in the event. The grand final was held at the magnificent courtrooms of Supreme Court of the United Kingdom in Westminster Square, London. The final was judged by Lord Phillips, former President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, Jane Andrewartha partner of Clyde and Co, & Professor Charles Debattista of Stone Chambers.

The key elements of the competition are:

• The problem will be released in early December 2013 and consists of a ‘real life’ client file.
• The teams prepare two 25 page memoranda in support of both the claimant and the respondent, due in April 2014. These memoranda are judged by an international panel of maritime lawyers and academics who determine the best written memoranda prizes.
• The teams attend the oral competition at the host university. The oral competition will be held between 4 – 8 July 2014 in Hong Kong.
• Each team argues four times in the general rounds, twice for the claimant and twice for the respondent. Distinguished members of the legal profession, judiciary and shipping industry donate their time to participate as arbitrators.

In 2013 awards were presented in the following categories:

• Best written memoranda, and runner up best memoranda
• Highest Ranked team in the General Rounds
• Best speaker in the General Rounds
• Encouragement Award (team/ individual)
• Best speaker in the Finals and the Ron Salter Award
• Runner Up - Best speaker in the Finals
• Runner up Team - Orals
• Winning Team – Orals
• Spirit of the Moot award
• Achievement awards (individual and/or team)
• Best performance by a newcomer team

I am very happy to answer any general enquiries about the moot and the experience that it offers students. Enquiries about registration and more administrative queries can be forwarded to the moot co-ordinator, Michelle Barron: m.barron@murdoch.edu.au.

I hope your Law School will consider participating in the IMLAM competition. I look forward to welcoming your team to University of Hong Kong in 2014!

Yours sincerely


Dr Kate Lewins
Moot Director
K.Lewins@murdoch.edu.au

Video courtesy of Law School, University of Southampton.