Mooting Competitions

What is Mooting?

A moot is an argument on points of law which aims to simulate, as far as possible, an authentic court hearing before a judge.

You will play the role of counsel and present your arguments in front of a judge whilst competing against another team. A successful mooter in one who manages to persuade the judge of the superiority of his or her legal arguments.

What skills do you develop from Mooting?

Mooting strengthens a range of core academic and professional skills:

Research: identifying relevant authorities and evaluating their strength will help students to conduct focused, analytical legal research
Written advocacy: drafting skeleton arguments strengthens students skillset to write with clarity and precision, work within strict limits, and prioritise the strongest material
Critical analysis: reviewing an opponent’s skeleton allows students to identify weaknesses, anticipate rebuttals, and construct more robust arguments
Oral advocacy: presenting submissions under time pressure, responding to judicial questions, and addressing rebuttals will enhance public speaking confidence and ability.

What Mooting opportunities are there at Ulster University?

Ulster University provides a wide range of opportunities through Mooting competitions.

Through competing and engaging in those events students get to build a network of connections and become involved in more opportunities independently. Skills acquired whilst representing Ulster University builds their foundation of advocacy.

Students have competed against:

European Law Students Association (ELSA)
University of Galway
University College Dublin
Queens University Belfast

Moot courtroom at our Belfast campus

Our Moot courtroom is located at our Belfast campus, and provides a realistic setting for simulating legal practice in a courtroom.

Students get to develop advocacy and communication skills
The facility, along with the mooting opportunities provided by Ulster University, ensure that every student has the opportunity to gain experience in legal advocacy during the course of their degree
The room is also utilised as a seminar space for teaching
Independent student societies use the space for their events (e.g. the UU debate society).

Student perspective

Pearse Smith on his experience mooting at Ulster University

"I began mooting as a first-year law student in 2025. Since then, I have competed in the university's internal competition and represented Ulster University at a host of intervarsity competitions. From my first moot to today, my confidence in public speaking has grown immensely, as have my advocacy skills and my legal research abilities.

As a member of the Moot Court Board, I’ve had the privilige of being at the heart of organising the university’s competitions, both internal and external. I am incredibly proud to sit on the board, and to have played a role in the development of mooting at Ulster University".