2x Chief Clerks for the Oxford Intellectual Property Moot

The Faculty is seeking to appoint two Chief Clerks for the 2025 Oxford International Intellectual Property Moot. The work would be ideal for an MPhil or early to mid-stage DPhil student (i.e. with at least one year of study remaining in October 2024) with a strong interest in mooting. Training can be provided.

The Oral Proceedings of the 2025 Moot will take place in Oxford from Wednesday 19 to Saturday 22 March 2025.  Attendance in Oxford in the lead-up to the moot, and at the Moot itself, are essential. These roles relate to the administration of the Moot and do not involve organising or coaching any Oxford team in the competition.  

Duration and hours  
Total working hours: up to 50 hours in total for each Chief Clerk, and not more than 8 per week or a reasonable average over the period. 

Start date: as soon as possible  

End date:   31 March 2025 

Description of the role  

The responsibilities of the Chief Clerks will include:  

Moot planning:  

•  Compile and format the Bench Bundle. 

•  Assist the Moot Director in preparing the drawer for the preliminary rounds.

• Oversee all communications with the volunteer clerks; and where requested, help draft, review and send correspondence to moot participants, judges, and markers.
• Assist with the production, in advance of the moot, of the certificates for moot awards.
• Attend moot planning meetings as required.  

Recruitment of clerks:  

• Arrange for the volunteer clerk positions to be advertised and promoted across a variety of channels.
• Prepare the application form for volunteer clerks, and process and review the completed forms.
• Maintain a register of volunteer clerks and allocate clerks to each round of the moot.
• Liaise with the Moot Assistants in relation to arrangements and bookings for volunteer clerks (e.g., their attendance at moot events).  

Run the clerking aspects at the Moot:  

• Update the training materials for the clerks and run a training session for new clerks on each morning of the preliminary rounds.
• Ensure that all moot rooms are set up correctly.
• Produce all written materials necessary for clerking, including score sheets and time cards.
•  Clerk in the Grand Final.

Moot Arrangements:  

• Attend the Opening Ceremony and assist with team registration that day.
• Assist the Moot Director in ranking the teams at the end of the preliminary rounds and calculating scores for the individual speaker awards.
• Fill in names on prize certificates.
• Oversee the voting for the Spirit of the Moot Award.

This list is not exhaustive, and the exact distribution of work will be by mutual agreement with the Director.  

Reporting  

The Chief Clerks will report to Professor Emily Hudson, Director of the IP Moot, and will work with other team members under the supervision of other staff at the Faculty of Law.   

Requirements:  

1. Excellent administrative and IT skills are essential.   

3. Whilst much of the work can be carried out online, the Chief Clerks will be required to be present in Oxford for some of their mooting-related duties, and in particular in the lead up to and at the Moot itself.   

4. Prior mooting experience (especially in relation to the IP moot) is desirable but not essential.    

Eligibility   

These opportunities are open to current graduate students in the Faculty of Law, and the hours are in line with the restrictions on working hours for students within the Law Faculty  

Rate of Pay  

The work will be paid at £17.83 per hour, which equates to University Grade 6, point 1, on the basis of completed and approved timesheets, which must be submitted to payroll@law.ox.ac.uk by the last Friday of each calendar month for payment on the last working day of the following month.  In addition, paid annual leave will be assumed to be taken in the month in which it was accrued.  

How to Apply  

If you would like to apply for this opportunity, please send a short curriculum vitae and  covering letter to emily.hudson@law.ox.ac.uk, which should detail your mooting experience, organisational experience and interest, by noon 30 October 2024.  

Enquiries may be emailed to the IP Moot Director, emily.hudson@law.ox.ac.uk    

Guidelines for Faculty members, line managers and students

Work must not commence without a letter of engagement or variable hours contract and a right to work check having been carried out by the Faculty Personnel Officer.

Graduate student engagement opportunities in the Faculty of Law usually fall into one of three categories: Research Assistant; Graduate Teaching Assistant; or Blog Editor. 

The University guidance on paid work for Oxford graduate students recommends that full-time graduate research students ensure that any paid work should still allow them to spend at least 40 hours per week for a minimum 44 weeks of the year on their studies. Full-time graduate taught students are recommended not to undertake more than 8 hours paid work each week during term-time study periods.  There are additional rules for students with visas wishing to undertake paid work. 

Students may not work for their own supervisor without the approval of the Associate Dean for Graduate Students.

Any queries regarding the eligibility of a particular student should be directed to Geraldine Malloy in the Faculty Office.