Derby reclaims Silver Plate against Nottingham in annual Law competition

Two University of Derby Law students re-claimed the Silver Plate in a ‘moot off’ against Nottingham Trent University last week.

The annual competition, which has been going for six years between the University’s Law Schools, saw students present their case before His Honour Judge Stokes, QC.

First-year Derby Law students Demi-Leigh Davis and Vili Tsvetkova took part in the mooting contest. Mooting is a mock legal hearing where students play the role of counsel and deliver oral arguments on one or more points of law.

Demi said: “Being part of the competition and having the opportunity to perform before a Judge has been a valuable experience. Taking part in this competition has prepared me for future moots because it is good practice and I also received constructive feedback from Judge Stokes on my performance.”

Vili added: “Representing the University of Derby at an external moot was a fantastic opportunity. Advocating in front of a judge helped build up my confidence and has prepared me for future assessments. I really enjoyed working alongside our research team on the case, and having the support of both staff and fellow law students.”

As part of the presentation of their case, the students responded to questions posed by Judge Stokes. At the end of the moot, he gave a short judgment on the particular point of law.

David Hodgkinson, Advanced Legal Skills Lecturer for LLB, said: “Judge Stokes was very interventionist giving both teams a very difficult time, which I have not seen for a while. However, he commented on the high level of skills shown by Derby Law School students and our knowledge of the legal principles, favouring our argument as well.

“Outstanding advocacy supported with correct authority, confidence and professionalism meant that Derby Law School won this competition.”

This year marks the 20^th anniversary since the first cohort of law students graduated from the University of Derby. The Law School was first established in 1991 and has some ofthe country’s most advanced facilities, including courtrooms, crime labs, interviewing suites and a crime house.

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