Table Contents

1st National Edwardes Moot Court Competition: Rules and Regulations ......................... 2
Rules and regulations .............................................................................................................. 2
1.Definitions:............................................................................................................................. 2
2. Organising Team: ................................................................................................................ 2
3. Teams: ................................................................................................................................... 2
4. Format of the Competition .................................................................................................. 3
5. Scoring: ................................................................................................................................. 3
6. Memorials ............................................................................................................................. 3
7. Rights to Memorials ............................................................................................................. 3
8. Memorial Submission .......................................................................................................... 3
10. Structure of Memorials ..................................................................................................... 4
11. Font and spacing ................................................................................................................ 4
12. Anonymity of Memorials ................................................................................................... 5
13. Front Page........................................................................................................................... 5
14. List of Sources and Authorities ........................................................................................ 5
15. Arguments .......................................................................................................................... 5
16. Word Count ........................................................................................................................ 5
17. Footnotes ............................................................................................................................. 5
18. Oral Pleading...................................................................................................................... 5
Time Allocation ........................................................................................................................ 6
Grading Criteria ...................................................................................................................... 6
19. Competition Prizes ............................................................................................................. 6
1st National Edwardes Moot Court Competition: Rules and Regulations

Rules and regulations

1.Definitions:
a) “Competition” means the 1st National Edwardes Moot Court Competition.

b) The “organising team” consists of those persons who are responsible for conducting,
supervising, and managing the competition.

c) “Preliminary Round” mean the oral rounds, which take place before the quarterfinals
rounds, and for the purpose of determining which teams qualify for the quarterfinals rounds.

d) “Quarter-Final Rounds” Eight teams selected out of the preliminary round shall compete
for the purpose of determining which teams qualify for the semi-finals.

e) “Semi-Final Round” connotes the third round of the competition. The four (04) winning
teams of the quarterfinals shall compete in this round.

f) “Final Round” shall be scheduled between the two (2) winning teams of the Semi-Final
Round.

g) “Oral Round” means a team’s pleadings, comprising both speakers, submitted orally in
front of a bench on behalf of one of the parties against another team representing the
opposing party.

h) “Moot Problem” means the case assigned for the competition to all teams by the
organising team.

i) “Memorial” means the written arguments submitted on behalf of both the applicants and
respondents by each team.

j) “Team Code” means the numeric number code assigned to each registered team by the
organising team.

2. Organising Team:
a) An organising team is assembled for the supervision of the competition and managerial
purposes.

b) Any decision taken by the organizing team renders the final authority.

c) The organising team of the competition reserves the right to disqualify any team, at any
time, upon any improper attitude or fraudulent demeanour or make any amendments in the
rules of the competitions to ensure transparency, equity, and justice throughout the
competition.

3. Teams:
a) Each team shall consist of only 4 members.
b) There shall be no more than 2 speakers, 1 researcher, and 1 coach.

c) Team members shall be in proper standard legal attire at all times during the competition.

4. Format of the Competition

a) The competition is divided into four major rounds: the preliminary round, the quarterfinals,
the semi-finals, and the final round.

b) The preliminary round which consist of 16 teams.

c) The top eight (08) teams shall be selected to participate in the quarterfinal rounds.

d) The four winning teams of the quarterfinal (04) shall compete in the semi-final round.

e) Only two (2) teams shall compete in the final round of the 1st National Edwardes Moot
Court Competition.

5. Scoring:
a) In the oral rounds, teams shall be scored on the given bases: court etiquette, oral advocacy
skills, knowledge of law & facts, and research material.

6. Memorials
i. General Rules

(a) The Memorial scores will contribute to deciding the outcome of a match.

(b) The memorials shall be written in English.

(c) In the oral rounds of the competition, a team cannot raise new arguments that were not
included in the team’s memorials.

(d) In the oral rounds, a team may cite judicial decisions handed down after the deadline for
submission of the team’s memorial, provided that the judicial decision is not being used to
raise an argument that was not included in the memorial.

7. Rights to Memorials
The organising team reserves the right to publish and disseminate memorials submitted for
the competition and also to attribute the memorials to the relevant institution and participants
during such publication and dissemination.

8. Memorial Submission
(a) Each participating team must prepare written submissions for both the applicant and
respondent.

(b) The memorials must be sent to lawyersofedwardes@gmail.com no later than Tuesday,

November 21, 2023. It is the responsibility of the teams to ensure that there are no technical
problems with the attached files. Among other reasons, delays connected to technology,
infrastructure, equipment, and conflicting schedules will not be condoned.
(c) Each memorial should be contained in a single file with the allocated code followed by
the first letter of the party, an R for respondent, and an A for applicant or petitioner. For
example: Team with code 1, the respondent memorial file shall be named “1 R.".

(e) The submission of the respondent and applicant memorials must be in one (1) email with
the following information in the subject line: ‘Team Code’ R + A. No other information may
be contained in the mail. The mail must be addressed to: lawyersofedwardes@gmail.com.

(f) Each memorial should be electronically submitted in both Microsoft Word and PDF
formats.

(g) Teams are required to submit or carry 4 hard copies of their memorials.

9. Style and Format of Memorials

(a) Memorials must be written in Microsoft Word and saved with the corresponding.doc
or.docx file extension.

(b) Each memorial should be electronically submitted in two formats: (i) as a Microsoft Word
document with the aforementioned file extension and (ii) in PDF format.

10. Structure of Memorials

Each memorial shall contain the following sections in the following order:

(a) Front Page

(b) Table of Contents

(c) List of Abbreviations

(d) List of Sources and Authorities

(e) Statement of Jurisdiction

(f) Summary of pleadings

(g) Detailed pleadings

(h) Prayer or Relief Sought

11. Font and spacing

(a) The text of all parts of the memorial (exceptions listed below) must be in Times New
Roman, size 12 font, and double-spaced.

(b) The front page may be in any font size or style.

(c) Headings and sub-headings throughout the memorials may be in a different font size,
underlined, or highlighted.
(d) Footnotes must be single-spaced, Times New Roman, size 10 font with a 12 pt space
between separate footnotes.

12. Anonymity of Memorials

The names of the team members, coach, institution, or city shall not be on any portion of the
memorial. Each team will be given a code that substitutes the team’s institutional affiliation.

13. Front Page

The front page of the memorial must have only the following information, which should be in
the following order (this information should be centred, except where stated otherwise):

(a) The code allocated by the organising team, followed by “A” if an applicant memorial or
“R” if a respondent memorial (e.g., a team with code 1 would put "1 A” on the top of the
applicant memorial cover page). \

(b) The name of the case

(c) The title of the document (i.e., “Memorial for Respondent” or “Memorial for Applicant").

14. List of Sources and Authorities

The list of sources must contain references to all page numbers where sources or authorities
are used or cited in the ‘Arguments’ section of the memorial.

15. Arguments
Substantive, affirmative legal argument, or legal interpretation of the facts of the moot
problem may only be presented in the ‘Arguments’ section of the memorial.

16. Word Count

The memorial can consist of a maximum of 7000 words. This includes the word count for the
Statement of Jurisdiction, the Summary of pleadings, and the Detailed pleadings. The
minimum word limit is 3500 words.

17. Footnotes
No information may be provided in the footnotes that is not related to the identification of an
authority or source.

18. Oral Pleading

(a) The scope of a team’s oral pleadings is limited to arguments in the memorial. In the oral
rounds, a team may cite judicial decisions handed down after the deadline for submission of
the team’s memorial, provided that the judicial decision is not being used to raise an
argument that was not included in the memorial.

(b) The order of the pleadings in each oral round at all levels of the competition will be:
applicant 1, applicant 2, respondent 1, and respondent 2, followed by the applicant’s rebuttal.

(c) The respondent shall have a right of surrebuttal.

(d) Only two (2) team members shall present the arguments during an oral round on a team’s
behalf.

(e) Judges must be addressed as “Your Honour or Your Excellency” at all times during the
oral rounds.

Time Allocation
(a) Each team’s oral pleadings shall not exceed thirty (30) minutes, including the time for
answering questions from adjudicators and the rebuttal.

(b) The team must inform the bailiff of the manner in which the team wishes to divide its
thirty minutes between its (i) first oralist, (ii) second oralist, and (iii) rebuttal and surrebuttal.
The time allocation informed to the bailiff may not be rearranged.

(c) No oralist may be allocated less than ten minutes for the presentation of main arguments,
and no more than two (3) minutes may be reserved for rebuttal.

(d) If a team fails to allocate time for a rebuttal, it may not then request that such time be
added during the course of the oral round.

Grading Criteria
Each speaker will be graded on the following criteria:

a) Correct legal analysis and its application to facts

b) Relevant provisions, statutory law, judgements, etc.

c) Clarity and logic of argument

d) Correct primary and alternative submissions

e) Evidence of original thought

f) Overall presentation

g) Ability to communicate with judges: persuasiveness and fluency

h) Ability to respond to opposing sides' arguments

19. Competition Prizes

The following prizes will be awarded:

a) ‘Winner’ and ‘Runner-up’ for the overall competition,

b) ‘Best Memorial’,

c) ‘Best Oralist’,

d) ‘Spirit of the Moot’, and

e) ‘Best Researcher’.
Miscellaneous Provisions

• We request you to treat all the participants, judges, organisers and other teams with
respect and professionalism. Let's create a cooperative environment where we respect
one another's contributions and behave with the utmost integrity.
• We request that all participants should be dressed in appropriate courtroom attire
during the competition. Maintaining a professional appearance is essential to create a
realistic and respectful atmosphere in our event.
• We kindly urge all participants to be punctual and strictly adhere to the schedule
provided by the hosts. Timeliness is essential to ensure the smooth flow of the event,
and it reflects your commitment to the competition
• We expect all participants to compete fairly and honestly, without engaging in any
form of cheating. The integrity of the competition relies on your commitment to
uphold the highest ethical standards.
• We remind all participants to uphold the confidentiality of competition materials and
discussions. Protecting the integrity of the competition and respecting the privacy of
information is paramount. Please ensure that all information remains within the
confines of the competition to maintain its fairness and professionalism.
• In case of any disputes or concerns, contact the organising team. We are here to
ensure a fair and equitable competition for all participants, and we are ready to assist
with any concerns or issues that may arise.
• Use of any sort of drug is strictly prohibited, disqualification will be imposed on
those who violate this rule.
• We request all participants to turn off your mobile phones to prevent any disruptions
during the entire competition. Your full attention and focus are essential to ensure a
smooth and productive event.
• Please ensure that all information and resources used in the competition are cited
properly. Accurate citations are vital to acknowledge the sources of your information
and maintain academic integrity.
Failure to comply with the provided code of conduct may result in disqualification from the
competition. We trust that all the teams will uphold the highest standards of ethics and
professionalism throughout the competition.
Thank you for your cooperation. For any quarries reach us at lawyersofedwardes@gmail.com