Eighteen Bachelor and Master of Laws students, their thirteen coaches, six law professors and a dedicated group of representatives from our Moot Court partner Clifford Chance Luxembourg all came together for a virtual kick-off session on 18 January 2022. It was a moment to welcome the University of Luxembourg Moot Court community and facilitate exchange between the students and the lawyers at Clifford Chance who share their expertise in preparation for the oral phase of the competitions.
This academic year, the University of Luxembourg teams will be competing in the following Moot Court competitions:
- Concours européen des droits de l’homme René Cassin
- European Law Moot Court Competition
- International and European Tax Moot Court Competition
- International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition
- Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition
- Monroe E Price Media Law Moot Court Competition
In his welcome speech, Professor Herwig Hofmann, Head of the Department of Law, highlighted the importance of Moot Court training. Professor Hofmann thanked the teams and their coaches for their participation, saying that it was “fantastic to see students going above and beyond, enriching their learning experience”. He especially thanked Clifford Chance for its continued support, stating that the programme and team preparation were greatly enhanced by “the invaluable feedback from our partners”.
Office Managing Partner of Clifford Chance Luxembourg, Steve Jacoby, welcomed the participants and recalled that this season marks the eighth year of partnership between the Luxembourg-based law firm and the FDEF. He emphasised the many benefits that come from such an experience, including “working together towards a common goal” and “learning about teamwork”; something, he added, which provides “excellent preparation for your future career”. Mr. Jacoby ended his address by saying that “Clifford Chance is proud to be supporting University of Luxembourg students”.
In her remarks as Moot Court Coordinator at the University of Luxembourg, Dr. Susana Muñoz introduced the 2021-2022 Moot Court Programme and outlined the developments and challenges of this year’s edition. She emphasised the role that mooting is called upon to play as “one of the most stimulating and thought-provoking activities in legal education”. She underlined the wide range of knowledge, skills and experience that both students and their doctoral candidate coaches would develop over the season: research and analysis, drafting of legal arguments, advocacy, public speaking, management and teamwork, among others. As part of this programme, the University of Luxembourg mooters will be supported by Clifford Chance’s expert lawyers in dedicated training sessions for each Moot Court team. Dr. Muñoz also expressed gratitude for this fruitful co-operation and stated that she is looking forward to the next steps in the coming months.
The various teams then split into different breakout rooms in which students, coaches, professors, Clifford Chance representatives and practising lawyers had the opportunity to become acquainted and to start discussions about the cases and the work in progress. Taking the place of a traditional ‘networking cocktail’, these sessions also allowed students to ask broader questions about life as a lawyer in Luxembourg and career trajectories.
The coaches and participants met virtually with Clifford Chance lawyers.
We wish all teams the very best for this new season and, again, we thank Clifford Chance for its valuable contribution!