As a sustaining member of ELSA Austria (European Law Students Association), fwp was represented on the panel of judges at this year’s Moot Court, both in the Vienna preliminary rounds and the national final. “We support the Moot Court because it gives students the opportunity to put their theoretical knowledge to practical use,” fwp partner Markus Kajaba explains. “Young lawyers in the making get a chance to practice their argumentation technique and their overall presentation skills. The Moot Court ideally complements traditional university studies.”
At the national finals, the six best teams from all of Austria competed against each other. Three cases were heard in the impressive setting of the Vienna Regional Court for Criminal Matters (Wiener Landesgericht für Strafsachen, Großer Schwurgerichtssaal): "The pledged life insurance policy”, “The incriminated statement” and "Addendum to the deed of establishment of a foundation". Each case was prepared by two teams – one team representing the complainant party and the other team representing the respondent party. After some three months of preparation, the teams had to make their cases before the panel of judges.
The Austrian Moot Court Competition
The Austrian Moot Court is a civil law competition for students, which takes the form of a mock trial. The Austrian Moot Court is organised by ELSA Austria (European Law Students Association). Every year, the best teams (each made up of three participants) of all Austrian law schools are determined in the course of preliminary rounds and subsequently get to compete in the national finals.