Prestigious competition brings future legal stars to Exeter

The 17th annual International Maritime Law Arbitration Moot (IMLAM) competition drew to a close on Friday 8 July 2016. The grand final was held in the Old Library of Lloyd’s of London, before a formidable panel consisting of the Right Honourable Lady Justice Elizabeth Gloster, the Right Honourable Lord Justice Nicholas Hamblen, and Professor Charles Debattista. Singapore Management University and University of Sydney were the grand finalists, and in a close contest, University of Sydney took out the title. The University of Exeter team won the Best Newcomer Award for its excellent performance in the competition.

The 2016 competition was only the second time IMLAM had been hosted outside the Australia & Asia-Pacific region. All preliminary rounds up to the quarterfinals as well as a number of social events for participants took place in Exeter. It was extremely successful, with 25 outstanding teams from all over the world taking part, meaning that the number of teams participating in the competition has more than doubled in the past decade.

The moot problem typically involves a commercial shipping dispute. The problem is designed to incorporate difficult but “real world” issues of substantive maritime law in an arbitration context. Many IMLAM mooters develop an abiding fascination for maritime law and IMLAM alumni can be found working in many of the top maritime law firms.

The organizing team was composed of Dr Kate Lewins and Mrs Michelle Barron (Murdoch University); and Prof Rob Merkin, Dr Kubo Mačák, Dr Mathilde Pavis, and Mr Darren Green (University of Exeter). A group of thirteen volunteers from the ranks of Exeter law students contributed to the organization of the competition.

Dr Mačák, speaking at the awards ceremony, said: “We were absolutely delighted with the level of the moots, the polite and professional behaviour of all teams, and the rewarding and pleasant atmosphere which all participants helped to create while in Exeter. We are grateful for the honour of hosting this prestigious competition in Exeter.”

Our warm thanks goes to Alumni Jane Andrewartha (LLB Law 1973), Lara Moore (LLB Law 2009) and Benjamin Ainsley Gill (LLB Law- European 2011) who volunteered as arbitrators for the competition.