University of Oxford 7 King's Bench Walk Commercial Law Moot 2015

The inaugural University of Oxford 7 King’s Bench Walk Commercial Law Moot took place in London on Friday 27 February 2015. 15 moots were held in just one day. Hosted by commercial barristers’ chambers 7 King’s Bench Walk ('7KBW') and organised by the St Hilda’s College Law Society in conjunction with the Oxford Law Faculty, the event brought together 24 students from across the university. The participants included postgraduate students and former Jessup mooters as well as many undergraduates and first-time mooters.

The competition consisted of three preliminary rounds followed by the Semi-Finals and Grand Final. Strong performances were given all round, by first-time and experienced mooters alike, with Mathew Doyle (Balliol), Christopher Jenkins (Keble) and Conor Kennedy (Trinity) scoring particularly highly in the preliminary rounds.

The Grand Final, in which Danny Tang (Harris Manchester) and Owen Lloyd (Merton) took on Caspar Bartscherer (Queen’s) and Samuel Williams (Magdalen), was held in the Royal Courts of Justice before a panel of three judges including the Rt Hon Sir Andrew Longmore PC, a Lord Justice of Appeal and former member of 7KBW. The participants were privileged to be able to use Court 3, the court where Lord Denning MR used to sit. Impressive performances were given by both teams. Danny Tang and Owen Lloyd, who appeared for the respondents were declared the winners and hence champions of the competition. Danny Tang was awarded the certificate for best oralist in the Grand Final.

The moot problem centred on the application of the doctrine of illegality in a claim in breach of contract and the pure economic loss bar in actions in negligence.

The moot was followed by a dinner that was attended by all of the mooters in the competition and by barristers from 7KBW. The day was a great success and we look forward to repeating the competition next year.

All competitors on the steps of 7 King’s Bench Walk

We are grateful to 7KBW for their sponsorship and hospitality, as well as the time given by many of their tenants to sit as judges in the competition.

Abi Willett, Jake Fleming and Lilli Jewell Von Seggern, St Hilda’s College Law Society