A fun, challenging and educational semester

Every year in November, the International Maritime Law Arbitration Moot (IMLAM) organises a Moot Court, where law students from all over the world compete to plan and conduct a (fictitious) arbitration case in the maritime field. At the University of Copenhagen, a team of six students has been selected this year; this semester, they are spending most of their time studying the case, preparing pleadings and practising their arguments. In July, their hard work will culminate in a ‘trial’ in Sydney, where they will compete against teams of law students from around the world.

Project-based study

Zia, Annsophie, Olivia, Izzah, Mathias and Emily meet regularly at the South Campus to work on their joint pleadings and prepare for the oral proceedings. They did not know each other before being brought together in this working group, which will be working closely together from mid-January until the competition itself in June.

- It’s great to meet new people with the same interests, says Mathias, and continues: I really like having someone to geek out with on a specific topic – arbitration law – and having a joint project.

- Yes, Olivia agrees, it’s also great to have the chance to really delve into international law, and English contract law in particular. It’s very different from what we’ve been working on otherwise.

In January, the group was given their project – or the case that is ‘going to court’ this summer – and since then they have worked closely together, regularly consulting with lawyers at Hafnia, who have helped them understand the structure, provided relevant material and pointed them towards useful tools.

- It’s really exciting to be part of this, and a great opportunity to hone your skills in a realistic setting, says Zia. 

Hard work ahead of the ‘trial’ in Sydney

There are still three tough months to go before the ‘trial’ in Sydney, where the students will have to act as both plaintiffs and defendants in the competition, in which 30 teams of law students from all over the world have registered.

Before then, even more work awaits on the pleadings, after which the oral preparation will begin. It is not until the end of June that the group will be given the other groups’ pleadings, enabling them to prepare their cases for the many mock trials. The group will then travel together to Sydney.

Follow their work on Instagram: @ucph.imlam