Congratulations to the Queen’s University Belfast team represented by Darren Finnegan and Conor Lockhart, who were crowned champions of the OUP and BPP National Mooting Competition 2016-2017, which took place at BPP Law School, Holborn on 22 June 2017.

His Honour Judge Gratwicke returned once again to preside over the final and kept the students on their toes with some keen questioning. He remarked that he was amazed and humbled by the high standard of mooting he had witnessed, noting that the difference in marks between all four teams could be counted on one hand.

The fictitious moot problem was devised for the final by barrister Rory Clarke, and focused on property law but also touched on the issues of Brexit and ownership of street art. The problem provided all participants with the opportunity to showcase their legal knowledge and advocacy skills.

The other three teams to progress to the final were Sheffield Hallam University represented by Billy Methley and Millie Broadbent; University of Buckingham represented by Joshua Cullen and Yashwanth Krishnan; and University of East Anglia, represented by Polly Averns and Anne Saunderson, all of whom worked incredibly hard to reach the final of the competition, often juggling mooting with coursework deadlines and exams.

Darren Finnegan and Conor Lockhart received a certificate, trophy, and £750 each. Joshua Cullen and Yashwanth Krishnan finished second and share £700 between them.

We send our thanks to all the participants who took part this year, together with the mooting co-ordinators and academics who train and coach their students.

All images courtesy of Oxford University Press.