What is a #twtmoot? A moot is a legal debate in a courtroom setting ...

In a moot two teams of counsel attempt to persuade a judge of the strength of their case by reference to legal authority. In a student moot the teams consist of two pairs of students representing appellant and respondent debating in a moot problem. University of Aberdeens 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 worlds first ever Twitter Moot. 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, it might 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, West Coast Environmental Law, and the students who participate to the attention of a world-wide audience. So why form a team? So why would a law student want to participate? Well, there are several benefits: Winners will receive a cash prize of $400 and a handsome plaque boasting of their accomplishments. Build and expand the number of people following you on Twitter; Have a unique and interesting law-related event to put on your resume; Receive media exposure resulting from the first-ever event of its kind; Show your support for West Coast Environmental Law and help us fundraise to support our 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 are interested 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 for registration until you have a team-mate. Since this is the first time that the #TwtMoot has been offered, West Coast is seeking to keep the size of the event to a manageable level, with just 4-5 teams participating in a single simulated appeal, 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 interest expressed. It is our preference to have multiple law schools participate, and if more than one team applies to register from a given law school, preference will be given to the first 2-member team 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

pay for the staff time and other costs that are going into organizing the event; any excess revenue will help fund West Coasts important work. Although you do not need to solicit funding yourself, you should be comfortable with your team being sponsored by a law firm or other sponsor. Please contact agage@wcel.org to inquire about registering. Registration closes when West Coast decides that we have a sufficient number of teams. The Moot Schedule in brief The precise schedule for the moots will be finalized in November or December, after the teams and judges are finalized. However, teams will be assigned the cases and which side they are representing at least one month before the date of their moot. The assignment of parties will be determined randomly. Teams representing appellants will be required to submit a brief notice of appeal and summary of their argument 3 weeks prior to the Moot. Other teams will be required to submit a brief summary of their argument in writing one week prior to the moot. It is expected that all teams will participate in the moot at the end of January or early in February. The moot will last approximately 1 hour only. A list will be set up by West Coast on our Twitter account which will follow the judges and participants only, creating a courtroom in which participants and the audience can follow. Web pages for the event will also provide a twitter feed, allowing people who are not on twitter to follow the event. Participants and the audience may also discuss the event using the hashtag #twtmoot. We will be releasing more detailed rules/guidelines on the moot shortly.