About

The Scots Inter-varsity Mooting Competition was launched in 2016 by Chloe Anderson, the then Vice President of the University of Dundee Mooting Society. Following the untimely death of the society’s honorary president, Lord Jones, the competition was renamed in his honour.

With a Scots Law problem, the Lord Jones Moot has become a key date in the Scottish universities’ mooting calendar. Held annually in February, it offers an opportunity for law students in Scotland to come together to network, further their advocacy skills and moot in an intense competitive environment over the course of a single day.

The competition follows the Inner Temple style with teams preparing both sides of the problem and being given just ten minutes notice of which side they will advocate on behalf of in each moot. Over the course of the day each team moots numerous times before the highest scoring teams go forward to compete in the latter stages and, ultimately, in the final.

The 2023 competition will be held in February 2023 at the University of Dundee Law School, with further details to follow.

Contact

2021/22 Competition

The Shepherd and Wedderburn Lord Jones Mooting Competition 2021/22 was held in February 2022 at the Scrymgeour Building, home of the Dundee Law School.

The initial rounds saw competitors from Aberdeen, Dundee, Strathclyde, Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews, Stirling and Abertay, appearing before members of the Faculty of Advocates, solicitors and esteemed academics.

The latter stages saw Glasgow and Dundee derbies in the semi-final round, before Strathclyde won out over Dundee in the Final.

The winners received work experience with Shepherd and Wedderburn, with a number of other prizes given out on the day.

To enter this year’s competition please contact law-mooting@dundee.ac.uk

Lord Jones

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Previously referred to as the Scottish Inter-varsity Moot, the competition has been renamed in honour of the late Michael Jones, Lord Jones, a Dundee graduate who judged the final in 2016 and was instrumental in the founding of the competition.

Lord Jones held roles across the legal spectrum over the course of his career and became one of the most distinguished graduates of the Dundee Law School.  As a qualified advocate, as well as a barrister in England, he was appointed as a QC in 1989 and appeared in many high profile cases, including the inquiries into the Piper Alpha disaster and the Dunblane massacre. In 2008, Lord Jones left the Scottish bar to become a senior partner at Simpson and Marwick overseeing dispute resolution and advocacy groups.

Prior to becoming a solicitor Lord Jones had held temporary positions on numerous tribunals and had acted as a judge on the Court of Appeals for Jersey. In June 2012 he was appointed as a Senator of the College of Justice, a position he held prior to his passing in March 2016.

As well as his professional endeavours, Lord Jones was an avid supporter of advocacy training and of mooting in particular. He was prominent in the teaching of advocacy courses within the Faculty of Advocates and also selflessly gave his time to provide advocacy workshops to students at the University of Dundee, his alma mater.

By organising an annual mooting competition in Lord Jones’ name, it is the intention of the University of Dundee Mooting Society that advocacy skills in Scots Law universities will continue to develop in his honour.