Released on 29 Jun 2012

University of Glasgow victorious as mooting competition reaches its climax

The University of Glasgow has won the Oxford University Press (OUP) and BPP National Mooting Competition 2011-2012.

Katherine Docherty and Bobby Lindsay of the University of Glasgow fought off stiff competition from the University of Buckingham, the University of Hull, and this year’s runners-up the University of Plymouth, to claim the prize during the final, held on Thursday 28 June at BPP Law School, Holborn.

The two winning law students received a certificate, trophy, £750 each and a chance to gain experience with BPP Law School’s Pro Bono Centre. Their win also marks the return of the title to Glasgow who last took the top prize nine years ago, in 2002-2003.

The runners-up, Victoria Hillman and Holly Bowditch of the University of Plymouth share £700 between them and the other finalists, each win £150 of OUP books each.

His Honour Judge Gratwicke, of Chelmsford Crown Court oversaw proceedings keeping the students on their toes with some keen interjections. In his summing up, Judge Gratwicke said:
“As always, the standard of advocacy in the final of this competition is incredibly high. This is not surprising as you have all undertaken nine months of gruelling competition to get to this stage. You are all exceedingly good and you must congratulate yourselves on your achievement tonight.”

Peter Crisp, Dean of BPP Law School said:
“Congratulations to the University of Glasgow, and well done to the runners-up and to all those who participated in this event. We wish Katherine and Bobby every success, and hope that they will benefit from the experience of working in BPP's award winning pro bono centre.”

Stella White, of OUP said:
“OUP and BPP administer the competition but it is the students themselves who provide the beating heart of the event year after year. They have shown a dedication to their studies and enhanced their future legal career prospects by putting themselves through their paces in order to be here."

The fictitious moot problem was devised for the final by Per Laleng of Kent Law School. The appeal centred on employee Mr Griffin who, made ill through exposure to asbestos and a subsequent work place injury, sought pain relief through illegal drug use. Students grappled with topics such as causation, comity and duty of care.

Teams wishing to enter the OUP and BPP National Mooting Competition 2012-2013 can register their interest by email to mooting.uk@oup.com

This National Mooting Competition is just one of the goodwill initiatives OUP has in place across law schools. Visit the homepage to find more about how OUP invests in legal education.

Notes for Editors

For media enquiries please contact:

Christine O’Grady, Senior Press officer, BPP Law School
Telephone: 020 7430 7053
Email: christineo’grady@bpp.com

Stella White, Assistant Marketing Manager, Oxford University Press
Telephone: 01865 353273
Email: stella.white@oup.com

The OUP and BPP National Mooting Competition is an annual ‘must enter’ for any student with a passion for mooting.

BPP Professional Education's goal is to empower students to succeed through our relentless focus on quality, supported by flexible learning solutions and outstanding educational material.

Oxford University Press is the UK’s leading publisher of legal textbooks and is a department of the University of Oxford.