The annual University of Leicester Medical Law Mooting Competition took place on Saturday 7th December. We are proud supporters of the moot, which attracts students from across the country. Five members of our team, together with legal professionals and academics, judged the competition and provided feedback and guidance to the participants throughout the day. It was a great opportunity to witness students take on and apply the advice they had been given.
A moot is a mock court hearing where participants take on the role of barristers to argue complex legal issues, usually in respect of a hypothetical case. Participants are required to research the area of law and present legal arguments while applying the facts of the case.
This year, the moot problem included issues relating to vicarious liability and the Doctrine of Illegality.
Vicarious liability forms the foundation of the majority of medical negligence claims. The legal principle allows an employer to be held liable for the actions of their employees carried out during their employment. For example, in the context of NHS Hospitals, an NHS Trust will be responsible for the actions of its healthcare staff.
The final, held after a gruelling day of knock-out rounds, was between University College London (UCL) and Gray’s Inn. Both sets of mooters presented excellent legal arguments, with challenging interventions from the final ‘Supreme Court’ judging panel, including Henry Witcombe QC and Bradley Martin QC.
The winners, Villasha Anbalagan and Jon Shaun Wong from UCL, were praised for the quality of their legal arguments and ability to respond to interventions.
At Lime, we are delighted to support the University of Leicester’s annual Medical Law mooting competition. We want to inspire the next generation of advocates for patient safety issues. Their experiences in this mooting competition will hopefully help them on their careers paths at the Bar and/or as solicitors.
