Since the 2019 mooting season kicked off in Spring this year, SMU’s mooting teams have continued making their mark around the globe, with podium finishes at four international moot competitions held in Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany and the UK.
In Hong Kong, the SMU team comprising Huo Jiongrui, Lyndon Seow and Tan Bae Huey came in first-runner-up at the 17th Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot Competition, organised by the Hong Kong Red Cross and International Committee of the Red Cross in collaboration with universities in Hong Kong. The inter-university competition focusing on international humanitarian law recorded 120 participating teams from law schools in the Asia-Pacific region (Asia, Australia and New Zealand) this year.
Following a series of national rounds, the top teams had converged in the cosmopolitan city from 6 to 9 March 2019 for the finals where they presented their arguments for the moot case this year which involved issues such as admissibility, enforced disappearances, and command responsibility.
[Photo: Team SMU at the 17th Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot Competition in Hong Kong.]
Bae Huey and Lyndon won Best Oralist prizes (1st and 3rd) and the team also picked up prizes for Best Prosecution Memorandum and 2nd Best Defence Memorandum. This is SMU’s seventh podium finish; it had won 1st-runner-up in 2016 and 2nd-runner-up on six other occasions. The team was coached by alumni Sui Yi Siong (Class of 2014) and Kartik Singh (Class of 2018).
Team SMU also stood out in the finals of the 12th Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot held in Germany from 4 to 8 March 2019, finishing second-runner-up out of 60 participating teams.
The Frankfurt moot is unique in that it combines the law of investment protection, one of the most modern and fastest developing areas of international law, with the history of international law and of international trade. The moot problem this year involved issues such as jurisdiction, most favourable treatment, and reconstitution of tribunals. This is SMU’s third podium finish in this Grand Slam moot, having been the champions in 2017 and 1st-runner-up in 2015.
The SMU team, comprising Victoria Liu, Low Yan Lin, Andrea Seet and Ye Zhichun, was coached by Daniel Liu (Class of 2013), Benjamin Bala (Class of 2016), Luis Duhart (Class of 2017) and Sean Sim (Class of 2017).
Nearer to home was the 3rd Fletcher International Insolvency Law Moot, the finals of which was hosted at SMU School of Law from 29 to 31 March this year.
[Photo: Team SMU at the 3rd Fletcher International Insolvency Law Moot held in Singapore.]
This competition is named in honour of Professor Ian Fletcher, an eminent scholar internationally recognised for his outstanding achievements in the field of international insolvency law. Although Professor Fletcher passed away in July 2018, the competition continues with the support of leading universities and the leading international institutions in this field.
Team SMU, comprising Tamilselvan Abirami, Sharon Andres, Shermaine Ang and Lim Jun Ping came in 2nd-runner-up out of 22 participating teams. They tackled this year’s moot problem which involved issues such as foreign main proceedings, public policy and debt discharges.
This is SMU’s third consecutive podium finish, having won the championship in 2017 and 2nd-runner-up in 2018. The team was coached by alumnus Clayton Chong (Class of 2014).
Finally, in Oxford, the SMU team comprising Cheang Huixuan, Jeanne Goh, Huang Zixian, Kenneth Loh, Trishna Menon and Claire Neoh finished second-runner-up out of 100 teams in the 12th Price Media Law Moot Competition. This competition, which is organised by the Bonavero Human Rights Institute of Oxford University, was held from 8 to 12 April.
The team qualified as the top seed after the preliminary rounds with a perfect 36-0 record, and Claire was also named as one of the Top 10 Best Oralists. This year's problem concerned topical issues such as fake news legislation, online hate speech and the right to be forgotten.
SMU continues to have the best track record in this Grand Slam Moot, having won it thrice (2010, 2016, 2017) and finishing first-runner-up twice (2015, 2018). The team was coached by Saw Teng Sheng (Class of 2017).
With these results, SMU's overall track record in international moots stands at 23 championships, 23 first-runners-up and 23 second-runners-up.
Associate Professor of Law Chen Siyuan, who founded the International Moots programme in 2010, said, “SMU is committed to maintaining its high standing in international moots. The results are the efforts of not just our students but also our alumni coaches and judges. We also wish to express our thanks to WongP for their provision of financial support and training to the programme.”
[Featured photo: SMU mooting team at the 12th Price Media Law Moot Competition.]
