Almost 200 law students from around the world have converged at The University of Queensland to battle it out for the world champion title of the 19th International Maritime Law Arbitration Moot (IMLAM).
The five-day competition, organised by the School of Law at Murdoch University (Perth), requires law students to work on a complex, realistic fact scenario involving a commercial shipping dispute.
For more than six months, the 29 teams from 14 countries have been researching the law and drafting submissions arguing their client’s case to prepare to compete in the oral component of the competition – where two opposing teams argue their case before a tribunal made up of experienced maritime arbitrators, members of the maritime industry as well as commercial and maritime lawyers.
TC Beirne School of Law Director of Mooting Ms Geneviève Murray said the School was excited to welcome the teams to Brisbane.
“We are incredibly pleased to be hosting the this year’s IMLAM Competition,” she said.
“The University has a rich history in mooting and regularly participates in many domestic, regional and international moots, most recently winning the 2018 Phillip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington DC, USA.”
The moots will be held in the School’s award-winning Forgan Smith building at the St Lucia campus, culminating in the grand final at the Federal Court of Australia in Brisbane’s CBD on Tuesday, 3 July.
UQ regularly appears in the knock out rounds of the moot, most recently winning the competition in 2013.
Representing UQ in this year’s competition is UQLS President Sangeetha Bayda, Laura Heit, Joshua McKersey, Priam Rangiah coached by recent graduate Dominic Fawcett and mentored by Professor Nick Gaskell.
The IMLAM competition enables students to forge contact with students from other law schools and meet with senior members of the profession and maritime industry.
Students also learn about the field of shipping law and the practice of arbitration, while improving their written, oral and teamwork skills throughout the process.
Many of the students competing in IMLAM go on to secure employment at maritime law firms or as associates for Judges specialising in admiralty and shipping matters.
IMLAM is supported by the judiciary, law firms and maritime arbitrators, as well as organisations such as the Maritime Law Association of Australia and New Zealand; the Australian Maritime and Transport Arbitration Commission, and the Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration.
Leading jurists have presided over the Grand Final, including senior judges from the highest courts in England, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia.
The moot is held in conjunction with a host University each year. In 2017, the competition was hosted by National University of Singapore. Next year the competition will return to Europe.
Media: Caroline Enright, media@law.uq.edu.au or +61 7 3365 2596.
