The University of Queensland has claimed victory in the 23rd International Maritime Law Arbitration Moot (IMLAM), beating out teams from around the world to secure its tenth world-title win in the competition.
The UQ Law team competed in a complex scenario involving a commercial shipping dispute during the intense five-day competition held in Swansea, Wales, with the Grand Final contested at Trinity House in London.
UQ Law’s William Garske, Lauren Gunther, Joshua Fukushige, Zoe Goss, Rupert Hoare and Katherine Richards, along with UQ alum and 2019 IMLAM Grand Champion Jonathan Hohl as coach, defeated 17 other teams to win the coveted title.
Professor Craig Forrest helped steer the team to victory as the academic supervisor.
Head of School and Academic Dean, Professor Rick Bigwood, congratulated the team on their remarkable success.
“This is another tremendous achievement for a UQ mooting team on the world stage, and one of which the School is immensely proud,” Professor Bigwood said.
“The IMLAM is a prestigious and highly competitive event, and that this represents the Law School’s tenth win in the competition is testament to the calibre of our students, the strength of our legal advocacy training, and the global excellence of our research in international trade and maritime law.
“I am grateful to everyone who has contributed to our team’s success, especially our students and volunteer coaches, whose impressive efforts and extensive preparations have returned a result that is richly deserved.”
UQ also won several awards during the competition including Highest-Ranked Team in the General Rounds, Best Speaker in the General Rounds (William Garske), Highly Commended Speaker in the General Rounds (Lauren Gunther), Best Speaker in the Finals (Lauren Gunther), and Runner-Up Best Speaker in the Finals (William Garske).
2023 marked a welcome return to an in-person competition for the annual event following a two-year disruption due to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, and a virtual competition in 2022.
It was hosted by Swansea University’s Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law and the Institute of International Shipping and Trade Law.
