A team of Edge Hill law and criminology students have won two prizes at the Sports Arbitration Moot (SAM) finals which were held in Madrid.
Sponsored by FIFA, 42 universities from across the globe took part the competition, which introduces sports arbitration to the next generation of arbitration practitioners. The aim of the competition being to enable students to practise their advocacy skills in the field of sports arbitration. Sports arbitration involves resolving sports related disputes between parties by a final and binding decision. An arbitrator plays the role of a neutral person, who makes decisions on a dispute based on evidence presented by the parties.
Sixteen teams representing four continents competed in the final rounds. Team Edge Hill were awarded two prizes to recognise their excellent performance.
Prizes were awarded for:
First Runner Up Best Oralist
Sayeeda Khanom
BA (Hons) Criminology and Law
First Runner Up Legal Research – Edge Hill University
(awarded for the second highest score in legal research)
Law student Charntaé Bennett told us how proud she was to reach the final rounds and being able to learn from other students, from different countries, as part of the experience.
“Thank you to the University and the admin team for providing the means to compete in Madrid. Without the encouragement and help we would not have been able to continue to learn and network. The team is so grateful.“
Charntaé Bennett
LLB (Hons) Law
The success in Madrid demonstrates the expertise Edge Hill’s School of Law, Criminology and Policing has in this area and the opportunities we create for our students. Senior Lecturer in Law, Dr Leanne O’Leary supported the students throughout the competition. As part of the preparation for the competition students were also observed in a mock moot by leading lawyer Nicholas Stewart KC.
“We are truly delighted with the students performance. It has been a real pleasure and a privilege to coach these students to success in an international arbitration competition. In just four short months they have had to learn FIFA regulations, Swiss law, international arbitration procedure, and appreciate the conflicts that arise between national insolvency proceedings and proceedings in a private dispute resolution system set up under Swiss association law. No mean feat when considering this was all undertaken alongside their regular studies, part time jobs and other personal commitments.”
Dr Leanne O’Leary
Senior Lecturer in Law
You can find out more about the competition on the Sports Arbitration Moot website.
What is mooting?
Mooting is an oral presentation of a legal issue or problem against an opposing team and before a panel of judges. As an Edge Hill Law student you will have access to our mooting room (a mock courtroom) and will be able to join the Mooting Society. You will have plenty of opportunities to enter internal and external mooting competitions throughout your course. Mooting is a fantastic way to build your confidence, feel comfortable in a courtroom setting and develop your debating, research and analytical skills.
May 15, 2023