Law School student James Sinatra has had great success at a Mooting competition held in Strasbourg’s European Court of Human Rights.
James is currently studying in the Netherlands at the Maastricht University, as part of his placement year on the University of Exeter’s LLB Law with European Study.
In May he took part in the eleventh edition of the Helga Pedersen Moot Court Competition in English on the European Convention on Human Rights. The event saw eighteen university teams from 10 countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Latvia, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom) compete in different fictitious case scenarios such as recognition of paternity, same-sex couples, and surrogacy agreements.
The final round of the competition was held in the prestigious setting of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg on 26 May 2023 – with a bench of Judges comprised of prominent figures from the Court and several senior Council of Europe officials. James competed with three other students in the team event and they won the final round beating the team from the University of Athens.
Not only was he part of the winning team of students from the Dutch University, James also won the prize for the Best Orator of the Finals.
“I have really appreciated the chance to practice my oral advocacy. Not only did I get to travel for both the regional (Tbilisi, Georgia) and final rounds but I have greatly improved both my advocacy and research skills and I enjoyed applying them to the case. Working with my team in preparation and during the moot court was fun and I have definitely learned to work better within a team setting.”
James will return to the UK, back to Exeter in September for the final year of his degree. He says it’s been a valuable year abroad:
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Maastricht, both because of the variety of modules I have been able to take and because of the social and travel opportunities that are available here. Like Exeter, it is a beautiful city so I have taken every opportunity to explore within the Netherlands and Europe.” If you’re interested in finding out more about our different Law degrees, our website details the full range of options open to you as an undergraduate and postgraduate student.
Date: 5 June 2023