LLB students Alasdair Burns and Justin Kong were two of the top four competitors at the prestigious Inner Temple Inter-Varsity Moot Competition held earlier this month.
This year, the competition has attracted over 15 teams from universities across the country. The moot concerned difficult points of law relating to jury direction and the defence of lawful excuse for criminal damage during protests.
Starting at 9.30 am, the Durham team demonstrated impressive advocacy and stamina as they mooted five times on the day. The pair competed against teams from London Metropolitan University, Cambridge, York, and Dundee. During an intense final against Oxford, the Durham team skillfully argued their case before an esteemed judging panel comprising Masters Mr Justice Michael Soole, Paul Infield, and Saira Kabir Sheikh KC.
The team was ultimately awarded Runners-up, with the panel praising the team’s oral advocacy and effective written submissions.
“This has been one of the most exciting moots I have done”, said Justin. As Vice President of the Durham University Mooting Society, he particularly enjoyed advocating alongside other mooters with diverse styles and responding to the challenging questions from the bench.
Alasdair added, “It was a great experience and I am happy to have represented Durham with Justin”.
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