The Mood to Moot It was a week before the registration deadline, that I got into the mood to moot. After having been through three years of law school, I decided to bite the bullet and sign up for Dictum Society's Junior Moot Competition 0f 2021. I was a ball of nervous energy as I put in my details in the sign up form with no idea on what to expect.
Research and ask questions on how the memorandum should be structured, including what should be included to have a solid document. Keep in mind that what you submit in your memo will only be what you can use to argue your case in the Moot Court.
Finding your Partner in 'Crime' The first step of participating in the Junior Moot is to find your partner or as we 'to be' lawyers feel thrilled to say, "my fellow co-counsel. After a panicked perusal of my handful of friends, my cocounsel was found in fellow student and friend, Manraj. I personally wanted to experience my first moot with someone who I am familiar with to share the comfort of being brutally honest with each other while researching case material, preparing arguments, and practicing our oratory skills. That being said, I had the good fortune of also interacting with other contestants who were just as green to the scene and was met with some very likeminded and easy-going individuals.
The Preparation The whole concept of mooting is to introduce us students to the practical experience of working the courtroom. A fairly straightforward case is given, with fairly straightforward instructions. The key is in going above and beyond what you are provided to stand out against your opponent. While my partner and I did a really good job of being thorough in our research to identify the complexities of the case, our inexperience showed when we did not do the same to understand the structural necessities of memorandums.
My favourite process was to prepare and practice our verbal arguments for the day of mooting. My partner and I showed true diligence in this area by practicing our arguments, not just with each other, but also with our friends to have full control over all points, the time, and most importantly the nervousness we felt in doing something neither of us are comfortable or familiar with. It was recommended by a friend that while delivering arguments, make it conversational yet assertive to achieve a natural yet, attention grabbing delivery, a hot tip we embodied to add pack power in the points we made. As the event was conducted online, a lot of the ways we prepared for this event were structured differently. We conducted all our research and work on shared google docs and had our arguments also laid out before our computers on the day of the competition. We even went so far as to practice making eye contact with the camera to ensure that while present our arguments we are sure to appear confident, prepared, and ready to argue our case from the High Court and back!
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