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From 28 February – 3 March 2024, the Liverpool Law School hosted the second Liverpool International Law Mooting Competition, after the successful inaugural competition in May 2024.
This inter-university competition gives law students from the University of Liverpool, Edge Hill University, Liverpool John Moores University and Liverpool Hope University the opportunity to try international law mooting in a fun, friendly and supportive atmosphere.
On Friday 28 February, participating students attended introductory workshops on international law and mooting advocacy skills, run by Dr Ben Murphy and Dr Katie Johnston, before dividing into teams of two to research the competition problem and prepare their submissions for the oral rounds of the competition.
The competition problem, 'The Case Concerning the RINGO Canal’, was a dispute between two fictional states, ‘Liverpudlia’ and its neighbour ‘Mancunia’, before the International Court of Justice. The problem raised legal issues concerning the legality of the use of force by states and self-defence against non-state actors, and the doctrine of ‘supervening impossibility of performance’ of treaty obligations.
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School of Law and Social Justice Dean, Professor Valsamis Mitsilegas introducing the Grand Final of the competition
On Friday 3 March, eighteen teams participated in the preliminary rounds of the competition – half again as many as participated in 2024 – with students from all four participating universities represented. Academic staff from participating universities, as well as participants in the University of Liverpool’s Jessup past moot teams, acted as judges.
Although many participants had little or no prior experience in international law or mooting, they embraced the challenge admirably. The judges were very impressed by the level of advocacy of the speakers and the amount of research teams had managed to do in the limited time available, as well as the friendly and supportive spirit with which everyone approached the day.
Following an introduction from Professor Valsamis Mitsilegas, Dean of the School of Law and Social Justice, the two highest-scoring teams were announced as finalists. Competing before an audience of law students, staff, friends and family, the Grand Final proved to be both brilliantly argued and highly engaging. The respondent team, Emily Hopwood and Khalid Alruwaili (LLM, University of Liverpool), defeated the applicants, Antrea Filis and Emma Reader (Second year LLB, University of Liverpool) to claim victory. The Grand Final was followed by a networking reception to celebrate the students’ achievements.
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Liverpool Law School LLM student Emily Hopwood pleading on behalf of the respondent, Mancunia, in the Grand Final
This year, for the first time, Manchester University Press kindly sponsored a selection of book prizes for the winners of the competition and the winners of the best speaker prizes, who will be able to select titles from Manchester University Press's extensive international law collection. Emily Hopwood was awarded the prize for the Best Speaker in the Grand Final, while Katie Kelly and Seomara Silva Baro received awards for Best Speakers in the preliminary rounds.
Speaking of the event, Sam Talbot, a law student from Liverpool Hope University, shared: “Participating in the mooting competition this year with the University of Liverpool I would describe as an invaluable experience. As a Liverpool Hope University student I'm grateful for the opportunity to compete in such a welcoming environment.
"The concept of mooting was daunting at first, especially being my first experience with both mooting and international law however it helped me develop confidence in myself, particularly in a public speaking setting. I would highly recommend this to any student looking for a great introduction to mooting!”
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Dr Katie Johnston announces the winners of the Grand Final
All involved agreed that the competition continues to go from strength to strength, and anticipation is already building for the 2026 edition of the Liverpool International Law Mooting Competition. Many thanks to the School of Law and Social Justice staff, students and alumni who made the event possible, as well as Dr Patrick Butchard at Edge Hill University.
If you are a student at one of the four participating universities, information about how to participate in the 2026 competition will be released early next year. For those who participated in 2025 and are keen to explore further international law mooting opportunities, you might be interested in external mooting competitions such as the Jessup and Telders moots. University of Liverpool students should also look out for details on how to apply for the Liverpool Law School’s 2026 Jessup team, which will be released later in Semester 2 (2025).