One of the things I seem to do regularly is to provide seminars and work shops on international law, legal writing, oral advocacy, and much of this is achieved through running moot court activities...Yet, when it is all said and done I am always amazed at how little interest there is in mooting - from academia and the profession alike!
For me it has always seemed so simple...mooting teaches you practical skills that allow you to hit the ground running straight after graduation and surely this must be a skill that is highly sort after by employers. Unfortunately, this turns out to rarely be the case and the number of visionary academics and professionals in this field appear to be lesser rather than greater in number...
In brief it is obvious that participating in a moot court activity allows you to learn team work and team leadership skills, focused research skills, writing skills, and advocacy skills, all of which are of immediate benefit in a professional situation!
Why moot? The answer is pretty simple if you are a law student...if you are any good at it an you get team that is good at it,then victories in the various local competitions are likely to take you around the world to participate in international competitions. This is another factor in why law firms should be a little less short-sighted in this regard...a successful law moot graduate is likely to have legal and corporate contacts all over the world. So, if you are a law firm looking to expand your international practice then an investment in a law mot graduate may just reap long-term returns far out-weighing any initial recruitment investment that you may have made...
I guess the moral of the story is that only having participated in a moot court competition can you fully appreciate the benefits that can be gained...to this end therefore mooting must become a compulsory undergraduate subject for all law students - no ifs, no buts, and no maybes...
The convergence on international law and mooting in the Indonesian context is a driving force behind moves to make mooting a greater part of the academic curriculum. It is also a motivating force in moves to see that students who participate in moot court competitions such as the Philip C Jessup International Law Moot Competition or the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Competition garner recognition in the form of these efforts are credited as part of their legal studies program. In essence they gain subject credits for their participation - a bold move in Indonesia...This fact that Indonesia has limited numbers of international lawyers with wide-ranging practical experience is a more recent realization for Indonesia and this realization is another reason that there has been a renewed interest in providing these types of practical advocacy skills at the university level...
Only time will tell but the future looks hopeful...
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