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| 13 Apr 2023 | |
| Written by ToucanTech Support | |
| General |
On the 29th of March 2023, Law students from the University of Huddersfield visited the UK Supreme Court to partake in the Supreme Court Mooting competition for Law Schools in the UK. This prestigious opportunity allowed the students to experience the thrills of advocating on a moot scenario before a Justice of the Supreme Court, the highest court in the UK.
The advocates who presented at the moot competition were Rukhsar Jahangir (Lead Counsel for the Appellant), Zaina Laiqat (Junior Counsel for the Appellant), Ayesha Iqbal (Lead Counsel for the Respondent), and Melissa Cheshire (Junior Counsel for the Respondent. They were nominated to advocate at the moot competition by the Director of Mooting, Dr Paul Abba, based on their excellent mooting performances at the University as they were the best-performing advocates during the Law school’s internal mooting competitions that took place throughout the year.
Leading up to this mooting opportunity at the Supreme Court, Huddersfield Law School underwent a rigorous screening process for over two years and was part of the final shortlist of 12 universities to be granted an audience by the UK Supreme Court for the moot competition this year. The screening process involved interviews with the Supreme Court registry dealing with external engagement. Eventually, Huddersfield Law School was one of the very few universities selected for the moot competition in the 2022/2023 academic session.
(Left to right) Zaina Laiqat, Rukhsar Jahangir, Judicial Associate Martin, Lord Richards, Justice of the UK Supreme Court, Ayesha Iqbal and Melissa Cheshire. Speaking about the competition, Dr Paul Abba, Director of Mooting, said: “The UK Supreme Court Moot is an exceptionally rare and invaluable opportunity for the participating students, and the University, to experience legal advocacy at the highest level of the UK judicial system. Our students worked tirelessly to prepare for this ultimate moment, and it was great to see the students that I have mentored argue a case before a Justice of the Supreme Court, an opportunity that an overwhelming number of qualified lawyers do not get. One of the advocates was a first-year student, who got the chance to appear at the Supreme Court in her first year of legal study, which is a huge achievement. I am also glad that the University of Huddersfield got the chance to highlight the abundant wealth of legal talents from its outstanding legal courses at the highest levels in the UK.”
The Law students prepared by studying and researching arguments and building reports in preparation for the court trial on R v Braddock, a criminal appeal before the Supreme Court based on a murder conviction of the appellant by the Crown Court which was upheld by the Court of Appeal. The Appellant argued that the defence of diminished responsibility under the Homicide Act 1957 should have been upheld by the lower courts and his murder conviction downgraded to manslaughter.
On the day, all the visiting students were given a tour of the Supreme Court, across the three courtrooms, the Privy Council courtroom and the Supreme Court library. The mooting competition was presided over by Lord Richards, who has over 50 years of experience in the legal profession. In 2015, he was appointed as Lord of Justice of Appeal and was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court in 2022.
Melissa Cheshire presented her argument. Speaking of her experience of mooting, Zaina Liaqat, one of the advocates, stated that: “The LLB course has taught me legal content, but the mooting programme has given me the confidence to apply that content in practice, through advocating. Mooting has provided me with several opportunities to refine my public speaking skills in front of a judge.”
Nadia Hertel added: “Working on a case which was heard in the Supreme Court, by the most prestigious judges, is a dream come true. Mooting is a wonderful method to hone your advocacy abilities, and it may open doors to possibilities that others may only dream of. It taught me essential legal research skills and other abilities which will assist me in my legal career.”
At the end of the mooting competition, the Supreme Court upheld the appeal by the Appellants on both grounds and ordered a retrial by the Crown Court. Thus, the appellants won both grounds of appeal. However, the Respondent team was chosen by the Court as the Best Advocate Team and Ayesha Iqbal, Lead Counsel for the Respondent was awarded the prestigious award of Best Advocate for her outstanding performance in arguing the case.
The University of Huddersfield congratulate its students on their success and looks forward to organising future initiatives that add real value to students’ learning experiences, preparing them for successful careers in their chosen industries.
To keep up to date with Huddersfield Law School, follow its Twitter account @huddlaw.
Ayesha Iqbal received an award for the Best Advocate at the Supreme Court. 