European Law Moot Court

Introduction

The European Law Moot Court is an annual moot court competition which is held between rival teams consisting of university students who have an interest in European Union law.

The European Law Moot Court competition is the biggest moot court competition across the European Union, with 80 to 100 participating EU and US universities. It is considered the most prestigious moot court concerning EU law.

The competition concerns a fictional case brought before the Court of Justice of the European Union and is comprised of two stages. The first stage is called the written stage, during which every team must submit written submissions for both the applicant and the defendant side. Of all participating universities, 48 written submissions are subsequently selected and proceed to the oral stage. When a team gets accepted to take part in the oral phase, the team will first participate in one of four regional oral rounds that take place in varying locations throughout Europe and/or the United States. The four teams that respectively win the four regional rounds are invited to plead before the real judges and Advocates-Generals of the Court of Justice of the European Union during the final round in Luxemburg.

The ELMC case this year concerns inter alia the applicability of competition law in the context of decisions taken by athletic organisations which organize competitive sports, as well the implications of labor law in a cross-border setting concerning athletes. In preparing the case, both substantive and procedural elements of EU law will be tackled.

Participation in the ELMC undoubtedly helps Ghent University students in their pursuit of a career in the realm of EU law or as legal advisor in any number of different fields of law. Participation in this competition will and already has significantly improved the legal writing skills, as well as the public speaking skills of the students concerned and will continue to teach them to interactively work in a team whilst applying the theoretical knowledge they have gained to an actual (albeit) fictitious case. Indeed, former moot court students from Ghent University have, amongst others, gone on to work for top law firms in Brussels and abroad, continued their education at top-ranked universities abroad and have gone on to work in academia. Not only do moot court participants acquire invaluable personal and professional skills, it allows for interactive teamwork between the students, experts and the coaches as well as the development of a critical and analytical approach to law.

Apply / Questions

The team will be selected based on the CV, motivation letter screening, and an interview with Professor Dr. Inge Govaere and her ELMC-team. Students will need to demonstrate at least a basic understanding of European Union Law. Detailed CV and motivation letter should be sent to both Professor Dr. Inge Govaere (Inge.Govaere@UGent.be) AND the ELMC-Ghent mail address (elmc-ghent@UGent.be). The interview will take place on Friday 1 October at 13:00 in Lokaal 7.1 Pleitlokaal (‘Pleading Room’).

Interested students should attend the first introductory meeting on Wednesday 29 September at 16:30 in Lokaal 7.1 Pleitlokaal (‘Pleading Room’). From 4 October onwards, the team will meet every Friday at 09:00 in Lokaal 7.1 Pleitlokaal (‘Pleading Room’), albeit that this can change depending on the schedule of the selected team members. Participants are expected to attend all the classes, except for the exceptional cases (illness, etc.).

Additional observations

The costs depend on the selection for the oral phase. Students must advance the registration and their own travelling expenses (depending on the participation in the regional rounds/final round, and the location of the regional rounds). Some of these costs might be reimbursed through sponsors and a special fund, but this cannot be guaranteed.

Schedule

Testimonials, pictures and video materials

• Promotional Video ELMC
• Ghent University ELMC Facebook

Links

• The ELMC Competition Website
• Ghent University ELMC Facebook