Bangor makes history by qualifying for internationally prestigious Telders Moot Competition
Law students (L-R) Andrew Jones, Damian Etone, Adam Gulliver and Cathal McCabe will represent Bangor University and Wales at the famous Telders International Law Moot Court. They are pictured here with mentor Dr Evelyne Schmid.Bangor Law School has made history by becoming the first team ever to represent Wales at a world-renowned mooting competition.
Law students Andrew Jones, Damian Etone, Cathal McCabe and Adam Gulliver will travel to the Netherlands to compete in the Telders International Law Moot Court – the most famous contest of its type in Europe – held at the seat of the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
The Telders International Law Moot Court is an educational event in which students from all over Europe compete against each other. Each team has to represent both the applicant and the respondent sides of a fictive legal case in conditions that simulate real court proceedings before the World Court.
With coaching from Law lecturers Dr Evelyne Schmid and Ms Yvonne McDermott, the team are now in the final stages of preparation. On Wednesday 17th April, they will make a final presentation of their arguments to an audience of their peers, friends and supporters before the semi-final and final rounds, which run between the 25th and 27th of April.
As part of their final preparations, the Bangor Telders Team are now searching for sponsors to help them meet the participation fee.
“It is an incredible achievement for the team to make it this far and to have the chance to represent Wales at such an extraordinary event”, said Dr Evelyne Schmid, who will accompany the students to Holland. “The preparation has been intense and the four team members are really talented. The last remaining challenge is to find some sponsorship – all donations, no matter how small, will go a great way towards making this trip possible.”
Of the four team members, three are students on the Masters programme in International Criminal Law and Human Rights Law, first offered at Bangor in September 2011. Andrew Jones sees the Telders Competition as a unique opportunity to practice what he has learnt throughout his studies and to observe the workings of the international legal community and its processes.
Cathal McCabe, a graduate of Bangor Law School, is a founding member of the Bangor Comedy Society, which will host a special comedy night on 17th April to raise money towards the team’s fund. He ultimately hopes to become a barrister specialising in the areas of law pertaining to vulnerable people, particularly children.
Damian Etone, from Cameroon, won a prestigious and highly competitive Chevening scholarship to fund his studies at Bangor. Having grown up in the midst of human rights violations, his career ambition is to become a barrister specialising in human rights law and to equip himself to help his home country.
The fourth member of the Bangor Telders Team, Adam Gulliver, is an undergraduate student and Master of the Moot for the Bangor Students’ Law Society, which conducts its own annual mooting competitions with support from academic staff. He believes that the challenge of having to learn a lot about international law without any prior studies of it is something that has helped to develop his ability to learn independently and he hopes to motivate other students to participate in moot courts.
Gwilym Owen, lecturer in Law at Bangor Law School, voiced his support for the team as representatives of both the School and Wales: “as a Solicitor Advocate, I am very pleased to see Bangor students representing Wales in this competition. Their enthusiasm and commitment are a great inspiration for young people in the region. Legal practice in Wales will only benefit from such initiatives and I wholeheartedly support the students in their adventure!”
To donate to the Bangor Telders Team Fund, or to find out more about their cause, visit http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/investment/representing-wales-in-the-telders-international-law-moot-court-1653
Publication date: 3 April 2013