What is a #twtmoot?

“

A moot is a legal debate in a courtroom setting ... In a moot two teams of counsel attempt topersuade a judge of the strength of their case by reference to legal authority. In a studentmoot the teams consist of two pairs of students representing appellant and respondent

debating in a moot problem.” –

University of Aberdeen’s

A Guide to Mooting Interested in environmental law, twitter and/or mooting? Well, have we got an offer for you.

In January 2012 West Coast Environmental Law will be hosting the world’s

first ever

TwitterMoot. If you choose to participate you could be helping make social media/legal history!Twitter, of course, is one of the most popular social media sites in the world, with approximately 200 million users world-wide. Since messages posed are generally 140 characters or less, itmight not seem like an obvious venue for a moot

–

a simulated courtroom fight. But this event, which will focus on a recent environmental case, will bring environmental law issues, WestCoast Environmental Law, and the students who participate to the attention of a world-wideaudience.

So why form a team?

So why would a law student want to participate? Well, there are several benefits:

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Winners will receive a cash prize of $400 and a handsome plaque boasting of theiraccomplishments.

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Build and expand the number of people following you on Twitter;

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Have a unique and interesting law-related event to put on your resume;

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Receive media exposure resulting from the first-ever event of its kind;

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Show your support for West Coast Environmental Law and help us fundraise to supportour work.

What you need to know to form a team?

A #TwtMoot team needs to include 2 members, playing senior and junior counsel. If you areinterested but do not yet have a team-mate, you can feel free to let us know, in case we hear of someone else from your University who is interested. However, you will not be considered forregistration until you have a team-mate.Since this is the first time that the #TwtMoot has been offered, West Coast is seeking to keep thesize of the event to a manageable level, with just 4-5 teams participating in a single simulatedappeal, representing parties and interveners. At present we are planning to keep the number of teams small (4 teams in total), although this may change depending on the level of interestexpressed. It is our preference to have multiple law schools participate, and if more than oneteam applies to register from a given law school, preference will be given to the first 2-memberteam to apply for which a sponsor is confirmed from that Law School. We are seeking corporate sponsors for the event, including sponsors for each team. In addition,there will be an invitation for individuals to donate to support the event. This funding will help