King's College London

Beating 28 other teams for a place in the final round, the King’s team was awarded the Allen & Overy Runner-Up Award for Oral Proceedings. The students were narrowly defeated by a team from University of Technology Sydney. Aspiring barrister, team member Cason Yong, was also recognised by judges for his talent, positioning in 3rd place for Herbert Smith Freehills’ Best Individual Mooter Award.

The oral rounds of the student law moot competition, hosted by the Oxford Intellectual Property Research Centre (OIPRC), were held in-person at the University of Oxford from 17th to 19th March 2022.

The team of undergraduate students from King’s comprised of Juliette Sautelle (English Law and French Law LLB, 2nd year), Ishika Manglik (Law LLB, 4th year) and Cason Yong (Law LLB, 4th year), who were coached by Jocelyn Bosse and James Parish, both Lecturers in Intellectual Property and Information Law (Education) at The Dickson Poon School of Law.

Juliette said:

Cason described the experience as an “intellectually stimulating, yet humbling experience”.

Cason said, “I am overjoyed that our collective effort and dedication were recognised, and that I got to explore the interesting complexities of copyright law that I wouldn’t have had the chance to do otherwise through my degree. The experience reinforced my passion to become a barrister, and served as a crucial reminder to myself that being a good advocate goes beyond mere persuasive speaking. Rather, successful courtroom advocacy, as I see it after the moot, is built upon rigorous background research, meaningful teamwork, a willingness to commit and a strong drive to persevere."

Ishika said, “The experience was brilliant! It is an excellently rewarding achievement. We worked extremely hard and the win is just a reassurance of our efforts. More than the win, it was a fantastic opportunity to meet law students from different parts of the world!”

On winning an individual award, Cason said:

This year’s problem question covered copyright law, passing off and geographical indicators of origin. The competition comprised of two parts: 2 x 3000-word written submissions (for the appellant and respondent), and the subsequent progression to the oral rounds in Oxford.

The team dedicated many evenings and weekends preparing for the competition with their coaches, which Ishika says was “intense but so rewarding”. Ishika explained, “Although the process was time consuming, it enabled me the opportunity to hone my research, oratory and communication skills.”

Juliette said: “The preparation process for the moot was incredibly valuable. Carrying out substantive research allowed me to gain a well-rounded perspective on IP law, because the problem question involved subject areas outside of the undergraduate syllabus, and the international premise of the competition meant we looked beyond UK law for relevant authority. The whole process has definitely cemented my want to pursue IP in my legal career.”

This is the first time a King’s team has reached the finals of the Annual Oxford International Intellectual Property Law Moot competition, with last year’s team being the first to reach the semi-finals.