2009 Charter of Rights Mooting Competition

**Congratulations to La Trobe 3 (Mark Basile, Aimee Chadzynski and Daniel Diaz) the winners of this year's Castan Centre Human Rights Moot Competition.   We would also like to congratulate La Trobe 1 (Leigh Howard, Harlis Kirimof and Ben Mawby) who came in second in the competition.**

The Castan Centre is hosting the 3^rd annual Human Rights mooting competition which is open to law students at all Victorian universities.  The competition will address issues associated with the new Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Vic), (the ‘Charter’) and will give students the opportunity to hone their skills in this important new area of law.  The event is proudly sponsored by Clayton Utz.

The Castan Centre considers it vital – as part of its mandate to promote human rights - to initiate a skills based competition focussing exclusively on human rights. In the coming years, the Charter will become an integral part of all Victorian lawyers’ practices, and it is essential that students are given opportunities to develop their skills in this area.

The centre is grateful for the strong support from each of Victoria’s five law schools in the organisation and implementation of this competition.

Prize Money

Winning team:      $3000
Runners-Up:         $1000

When will the Competition be Held?

Each team will compete in one moot in each of the preliminary rounds. The top four teams from the two preliminary rounds will compete in the semi-finals, with the winners proceeding to the final.

Where will the Moots Take Place?

The preliminary rounds and the semi finals will be held at the offices of Clayton Utz, located at 333 Collins Street, Melbourne. The Final will be held at the Victoria Court of Appeal, in the Red Court.

Who Can Compete?

Entry is open to two teams from each Victorian university. Each law school is responsible for choosing and organising its teams, and students should apply to the designated representative within their faculty (see How to Apply, below).  Each team should have three competitors – Senior Counsel, Junior Counsel and instructing solicitor. 

Competitors must be in the equivalent of at least third year of a combined law degree or any year of a JD degree, but must not have completed their degree.  It is preferable that competitors have completed some studies in human rights law.

Who will Judge the Moots?

The Final round of the moot will be judged by The Hon. Justice Chris Maxwell, President of the Victoria Court of Appeal, Judge Anthony Howard of the County Court, and Dr Helen Szoke, CEO of the Victoria Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission.  The preliminary moots will each be judged by one pre-eminent member of Victoria’s legal fraternity.

How do you Apply?

To express your interest in competing contact the delegate at your university.  Delegates are:

Monash University students click here for information on how to apply

Closing Date for Applications

The closing date for finalisation of teams is 14 August 2009.  University delegates are responsible for ensuring that teams are organised prior to this date and will determine their own application closing dates.

Guidelines

2009 Handbook for Competitors

Preliminary Round Draw and Moot Problem

 2009 Preliminary Round Moot Problem

Preliminary Round 1 (31 August 2009) Draw

Preliminary Round 2 (3 September 2009) Draw

Semi-final Round Draw and Moot Problem

Semi Final Moot Problem

Grand Final Draw and Moot Problem

Grand Final Moot Problem

Previous Competitions

2008 Mooting Competition
2007 Mooting Competition