TRans european moot court competition
The Defense Never Rests
Law Students
Prepare for
Future Civil
Rights Cases
November 2013 saw the first ever Trans-European
Moot Court take place in Strasbourg with teams
from Norway and Slovenia competing in the finals.
Both teams were made up of law students who progressed from regional rounds in Scandinavia and
the Western Balkans to represent their countries
at the competition. The aim of the Moot Court is
to give students a holistic experience in a real life
international court setting, defending a topical case
that could find itself in front of the European Court
of Human Rights.
Team Henrik Steska from Ljubljana in Slovenia and
team Schjødt from Oslo in Norway battled it out.
The legal debate centred around one state’s refusal
to allow a Pride Festival. The competition was held
before judges and experts from the European Court
of Human Rights.
The idea to create an annual recurring regional Moot
Court competition in the Western Balkans developed
almost a decade ago. Civil Rights Defenders identified a lack of practical knowledge of the work carried
out by the European Court of Human Rights among
law students. In 2007 the first ever Moot Court competition was held in the Western Balkans and since
its inception over 450 students have participated. The
Nordic Moot Court competition, founded in 1984,
was used as model.
Team Schjødt from Norway were the eventual winners with the narrowest possible margin.
“The aim of the Court is to empower young human rights experts in the beginning of their legal
careers, so they have the confidence and the know
ledge to contribute to their communities in a positive way,” said John Stauffer, Legal Director, Civil
Rights Defenders.
Mirjana Lazarova Trajkovska was one of the presiding Judges at the Trans-European Moot Court
finals held in Strasbourg and organised by Civil
Rights Defenders. She has been a Judge at the Euro-
pean Court of Human Rights since February 2008
and holds a doctorate in Human Rights Law from
the Faculty of Law at the University of Ljubljana,
Slovenia.
What was your motivation for taking part?
My main motivation for taking part in the TransEuropean Moot Court final was my admiration for
the enthusiasm and energy that the organisers and
participants invested in this event. I am very supportive of law students and I admire their dedication
to their future profession. It is of crucial importance
for them to practice what they learn from books and
from our case-law.
What were your impressions of the
students from Scandinavia and the Balkans
in how they presented their arguments?
Both presentations were excellent. Presentations of
their arguments were in accordance with the caselaw of the European Court of Human Rights and
well elaborated. For both parties English was their
second language and on this point both had an excellent command of the language. They presented
themselves in front of presiding judges and amongst
themselves without an