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A team of law students from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) won the championship and the LAWASIA Trophy for Best Memorial at the 7th LAWASIA International Moot Competition recently held in Bali, Indonesia. This is the first time the CUHK team emerged as the overall champion in an international moot competition, a testament to the international standing of CUHK Faculty of Law albeit its short history of only seven years. 

The competition involves law students making arguments on a legal problem in a courtroom simulation before a distinguished panel of arbitrators. Under competition rules, each team was required to complete two 10,000-word memorials (written legal briefs) and then make oral submissions against other teams over a five-day period at the International Rounds in Bali. The competition addresses current legal problems in a commercial arbitration – an increasingly important part of the legal landscape in Asia. This year’s problem concerned the extent to which franchisees are able to ‘localise’ a franchised restaurant, in this case adding Indonesian dishes and ingredients to the menu of a traditional Chinese restaurant located in Indonesia. 

This year 14 teams participated in the competition, including teams from mainland China, USA, Australia, Nepal, Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, India and Hong Kong. The CUHK team was undefeated in the competition, winning all seven of its moots, and had a close final match against Singapore Management University, a frequent winner in international moot competitions. The team comprised John Li (PCLL), Angela Tsui (PCLL), Alice Leung (PCLL) and Ivan Lee (LLB), and was coached by Prof. Michael Ramsden, Assistant Professor, CUHK; Mr. Peter Rhodes, Professional Consultant, CUHK; and Mr. Newton Mak (PCLL). 

This latest mooting success follows many other notable achievements of CUHK law students in international competitions. This year, the CUHK team was ranked 6^th out of 280 teams participating in the Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot held in Vienna. CUHK also emerged as White & Case Regional Champion in the Philip C Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. This sustained mooting success is not only the result of the students’ considerable efforts, but highlights the international standing of legal education in Hong Kong.