Oxford Brookes law students impress in national mooting competition Grand Final

Two Oxford Brookes University law students appeared in the Grand Final of a highly prestigious national mooting contest, held at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

Imogen Rivers and Bevil Luck, both from Oxford and currently studying for a Graduate Diploma in Law, competed against the University of Cambridge in the Grand Final of the Landmark Chambers Judicial Review Moot Competition on the evening of 5 March, having advanced from an initial field of 50 teams.

Mooting is a practice that provides law students with real-life courtroom experience. The students participate in a mock court appeal hearing, arguing a point of law against an opposing team, with judges deciding the winners.

The moot was judged by Lord Carnwath, former Justice of the Supreme Court, and David Elvin KC of Landmark Chambers. Imogen and Bevil were highly praised by the judging panel, who commended both students on their exceptional advocacy.

Imogen and Bevil presented a legal argument before the judges on whether developments with potential pollution risks should be granted planning permission. They argued that any project with the potential to harm the environment must undergo a thorough assessment of risks and mitigation measures before approval. The judges ultimately ruled in their favour.

Imogen was named overall joint winner of the competition alongside Marcus Choy from the University of Cambridge. The competition’s structure allows for two individual winners in the Grand Final, either from the same team or opposing teams.

Speaking after the final, Imogen said: “A huge and heartfelt thank you to the incredible team at Oxford Brookes for their support throughout our mooting journey this year. Special thanks go to Marc Howe, Charlotte Houghteling, Maja Wilkins, Kit Fotheringham, Alexander Greenberg and, of course, my awesome moot partner, Bevil Luck. It has been a wonderful ride and I have felt encouraged, fired up and pushed to go as far as I can go at every stage. If you are wondering about doing some mooting, don't hesitate - and do it at Brookes!”

Marc Howe, Principal Lecturer in Law, who coached Imogen and Bevil on their route to the final, said: “Imogen and Bevil’s success highlights the strength of Oxford Brookes’ law students on a national stage and reinforces the university’s reputation for developing skilled and confident legal advocates. 

“Reaching the final of such a prestigious competition is an incredible achievement, and both students demonstrated outstanding legal reasoning and advocacy under pressure. Their performance reflects the dedication, hard work, and high standard of mooting at Oxford Brookes. Congratulations to Imogen for being named a joint winner of this highly prestigious competition.”

Oxford Brookes’ proud mooting history

Imogen and Bevil’s achievement builds on a strong track record of success in mooting competitions by law students from Oxford Brookes. In 2022, Robert Watt and J Ockenden won the English Speaking Union-Essex Court Chambers National Mooting competition, defeating the University of Cambridge in the Grand Final. This was the fifth time in ten years that a team from Oxford Brookes had won the competition. The duo went on to represent the UK in the Commonwealth Mooting Competition 2023 in Goa, where they were crowned Commonwealth champions - this was the second time that a Brookes mooting team representing the UK had become Commonwealth champions.