First year law students, Ella Hudson and Iris Chapman Green beat 30 other university teams to be crowned this year’s champions of the National First Year Moot Competition. This is the only moot competition in the country exclusively for first year law students. Let’s hear how they did it……
Introduce yourselves
My name is Ella Hudson, and I’m about to start my second year studying law at Kent. Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to take part in a national mooting competition – an experience that challenged me, taught me and ultimately reaffirmed why I’m so passionate about making the most of every opportunity during my studies.
And I’m Iris Chapman Green. I am a law student who has just finished my first year of a 3-year LLB law course, from Broadstairs, Kent.
Why you chose to participate in the competition?
Ella: I decided to take part in the competition partly because I am still undecided on the exact path I want to follow after my degree – whether to qualify as a barrister or a solicitor. Mooting is relevant to both, and I knew it would give me a unique chance to immerse myself in the world of appellate advocacy. Regardless of the route I take, mooting is a skill that is transferable into legal practice, helping applicants stand out in recruitment processes.
The competition also offered the chance to strengthen a wide range of other skills, such as clear and confident communication, critical thinking and the ability to respond under pressure – all qualities that employers and pupillage committees actively seek. For me, it was also about maximising my university experience and saying “yes” to opportunities that will help me grow both professionally and personally.
Iris: I chose to participate in the competition because I wanted to challenge myself and go outside of my comfort zone. Public speaking has always been something that I have struggled with due to my anxiety, so when they announced this opportunity I was initially sceptical about signing up, but after being a mock juror for the Mock Trial Advocacy module at the Law School, I spoke to Darren Weir, Director of Lawyering Skills, who was playing the judge, and he convinced me about how amazing of an opportunity this was for me as a first year law student. I realised in that moment that I had to make the most of the opportunities being presented to me through the University. As someone who is interested in becoming a barrister, I know that being confident in my abilities to argue clearly and confidently is so important to my future career and I knew that the mooting competition was a great opportunity to achieve these goals and add to my CV.
How were you selected to represent Kent?
Iris: I was selected from a group of people who applied to be a part of the competition via an online questionnaire and was informed I had been picked to represent Kent with my partner Ella. Working with Ella was a dream, we had never encountered each other in the first year of our course and up until the finals day, which took place at Barrister’s chambers, Francis Taylor Building, we had never even met in person, but we instantly got on. Planning our arguments over facetime around work schedules and weak WIFI signals was difficult, but knowing that I could instantly reach out to her for advice and understanding made a massive difference. We were in it together and I couldn’t have done any of it without her. Our mooting styles, while quite different, seem to be complimentary in advancing a convincing argument. Our knowledge of each other’s strength and weaknesses helped us to support each other throughout the process and when we were mooting. I particularly had a habit of speeding up when I got nervous and in the final Ella developed a signal where she would tap the table next to me as a sign to slow down.
Ella: The competition was held over two stages: the preliminary rounds, which took place online, and the finals day, hosted by Francis Taylor Building in London.
In the preliminary stage, my partner, Iris Chapman-Green, and I competed in three rounds via Zoom. The first round was a practice moot, allowing us to present our arguments and receive constructive feedback from the judge. This feedback proved invaluable, helping us refine our submissions for the following two competitive rounds.
Each round brought new challenges, as we faced a different team in front of a different judge, each providing their own style of questioning and constructive critique at the end. After the preliminaries, we received the email confirming that we had qualified for the finals – one of only eight teams to do so.
What happened on the day?
Ella: Finals day in London was an exciting, yet nerve-wracking experience. The day began with the quarter-finals, where we successfully secured a spot in the semi-finals, and then progressed all the way to the final. After each round, the judges’ feedback helped me understand not only what my strengths were, but also highlighted areas where I could improve.
Iris: When we arrived in London, I was filled with nerves as everything we had learned from the preliminary rounds went to the back of my mind. In person I would not be able to hide my jittering hands or turn off my camera when I had finished speaking. Reaching the final eight was an added pressure. But we knew we could only give it our best shot and make ourselves and each other proud, and so that is what we did. Each team we faced were strong, but Ella and I were constantly evolving as a team by listening to the feedback and taking it onboard to inform our strategy. We tried to apply the learning that after each match and it made us stronger. By the time we reached the final, we had grown so much since our first round that it was startling to remember what we were like a mere two weeks before.
The final itself was a fresh challenge, with a panel of four judges rather than two, including a Richard Honey KC, as well as performing in front of all the other finalists. I gave it everything I had and it paid off and when they announced who the winners were I could only feel disbelief at the day’s outcome and pride in our team and how far we had come. But on a personal note how far I had come in the span of a month, from someone with heaps of social anxiety and no experience with mooting before, to a National First Year Mooting champion alongside someone who is now a forever friend. It just shows you that you are capable of so much if only you stop limiting yourself. If I had listened to my anxiety I never would’ve been able to achieve this success.
Tell us about the impact of the experience on you
Iris: This experience has changed my life going forward as a person and as a law student, not only have I been able to prove to myself I can do anything if I put my mind towards it, but it has shown me the importance of not being complacent, there is always something to learn from someone else, a way to be better, as a student, as a lawyer, or as an individual.
Ella: One of the most rewarding aspects of the experience was undeniably the networking. Meeting fellow law students from across the country, as well as those who judged the competition during the day, was both informative and inspiring. We exchanged experiences about advocacy, discussed different routes into the profession, and even picked up information on training contracts, pupillages and chambers. Conversations over lunch and during breaks gave me a real insight into what a future legal career might look like, and provided professional contacts I hope to keep in touch with.
Overall, the competition was an incredibly enjoyable and educational experience. It has strengthened my skills, boosted my confidence in public speaking, and given me practical insights into legal argumentation that I can carry into future moots, my studies, and eventually my legal career. More than that, it has reminded me of the value of stepping outside of my comfort zone and embracing opportunities, even when they may seem challenging. For these reasons, I would strongly encourage any law student, to get involved with mooting, or any other opportunity that arises.
Darren Weir, Director of Lawyering Skills said, ‘Ella and Iris did an amazing job representing Kent Law School. They threw themselves into the competition 100% and that is all we could ask for. It has been wonderful reading how the experience has had a positive effect on their outlook and their approach to the study of law. Students who take part in the myriad of lawyering skills opportunities always appear to me to approach their academic studies with more confidence.’
