On 2 June 2016 the “Riga Moot 2016” international moot court competition took place at Riga Graduate School of Law (RGSL). The University of Latvia team won. The winning team, represented by Ingus Meimers and Toms Vilnis, received the main prize – €500 from our sponsors – European Law firm “Klotini & Sergis”.
RGSL director Karīna Kulberga comments: “Moot courts are an excellent opportunity for tomorrow’s lawyers to strengthen their knowledge and polish their skills in practice. But to attract interest from abroad, moot court topics should also be in international law as we did this year – and it succeeded. We are thrilled with the outcome and determined to continue the tradition. We are also glad to be cooperating with ‘KLOTIŅI & SERĢIS’, which supports the development of young lawyers.”
Four teams took part in the moot court including one team from Belarus and two from RGSL. The moot court was in English and the topic was “Problematics with the Refugee Question in the Bundorff Sea”. All teams had prepared written memorials, which were evaluated beforehand. During the moot court, teams appeared as both applicants and defendants, depending on the draw. Evaluating the teams were professional lawyers: advocate Jūlija Jerņeva, RGSL Rector George Ulrich, ULatvia lecturer Māris Lejnieks, RGSL Bachelor Programme Director Inese Druviete and others.
The moot court competition is a great opportunity to develop not only deeper knowledge in different fields of law but also the skills needed in an occupational career such as personal and rhetorical skills and, in particular, teamwork capabilities.