Charles Lamb once said, “He is no lawyer who cannot take two sides”. In this riveting, educational environment of moot courts, law students are given ample opportunities to live out that quote.
“Once, I had to find counter-arguments for my judge’s counter-arguments within five minutes, on my feet. When your brain works that fast, it’s a huge rush and humbling experience,” says Gopika Nambiar, a law student.
For Gopika, moot courts have been a part of her life since her first year at the School of Excellence In Law, Chennai. She has participated in over 11 moots all over the country and internationally. “Moot courts are an integral part of all law colleges. You are given a moot proposition, based on different types of law. The cases you are given are a combination of different ones, some based on real life, some concocted. You are asked to participate in a team of three, with two speakers, and one researcher, who reads up the case material and does the background work.”
The environment of a moot court is closely designed to resemble a real court of law. “We draft written moot propositions, which resemble court affidavits, sent before the moot to the organisers. We are judged by sitting and retired judges of the High Court and the Supreme Court, who are exacting and critical as judges. We are given a time limit, and asked questions during our arguments. We are expected to adhere to court manners, and address the judges by proper titles, and must pay utmost respect. The amount of research we do is equal to our preparation for real cases,” says Gopika.
Moot courts provide an excellent learning opportunity for aspiring lawyers, giving them exclusive training and a sneak peek into the world of law before they take it up. “There are two preliminaries in a moot court. For each one, we take a different side petitioner or respondent. This teaches us to think about a case from every angle. When I study for an exam, I can study law but I may not be able to interpret it. In each moot case, for every law I read in class, I get the interpretation. I get the feeling I have a client and this motivates me to think, interpret and analyse the law like I’m breathing it. It gives me court mentality and a knowledge of every kind of law.
The prizes for moot courts include one for the Best Team, Best Speaker and Best Written Submission. Participating in them provides you with excellent material for your resume, and a wonderful learning opportunity. The School of Excellence In Law grants on-duty (OD) to the students who are selected to represent them in moots. Is it any wonder then that Gopika encourages all law students to participate?
International moots
How about international moots? Do they involve a lot of expenditure, and how do students manage funds for them? Gopika is not happy with the fee part. She says, “In the case of international moots, the Government of Tamil Nadu keeps asidefunding for us. Sometimes, registration fee is very high. They should give us fees. Colleges give us OD to go for the moots, but not for preparation. We do that on our own time.”