Oxford team finishes as Quarter-Finalist at the ESU-ECC National Moot 2020

The team representing the University of Oxford finished as Quarter Finalists in the English Speaking Union-Essex Court Chambers National Mooting Competition 2020.

The team, consisting of Cassandra Somers-Joce (Magdalen College), Szabrina Lethenyey (Oriel College) and Yu Jiaqi (Oriel College) tackled a difficult moot problem in the Quarter Final Round. The first ground of the problem asked whether the Attorney-General’s exercise of the discretion not to grant permission to bring a relator action was reviewable by the courts. The second ground asked whether a tort action for Misfeasance in Public Office was available when the victim of the misfeasance was the State. The team received high praise from the judge. Yu Jiaqi was commended on the impressive depth of her case knowledge. Cassandra Somers-Joce was described as a ‘fantastic’ advocate, scoring 19 of a possible 20 points.

The competition, which has been ongoing since January 2020, saw the Oxford team defeat universities from across the United Kingdom, finally placing amongst the final eight. The competition invites participant teams to moot a different problem each round. Previous rounds have tackled the scope of vicarious liability, legislative competence under devolution, and the right to privacy.