On 1 June 2020, the final oral part of the moot court competition entitled “Client Representation before the KIO National Appeals Chamber” for students of Law and Administration Faculties, was held at the Warsaw offices of WKB Wierciński, Kwieciński, Baehr.
The competition was organized by the Public Procurement Law Association. The competition award winners will get the chance to take part in trainee programs in law firms supporting the competition, such as Bird & Bird, BSJP, Clifford Chance, Dentons, Domański Zakrzewski Palinka, Jerzykowski i Wspólnicy, Schampera Dubis Zając i Wspólnicy, Wardyński i Wspólnicy, and WKB Wierciński Kwieciński Baehr.
The following four universities entered their teams into the competition:
Mickiewicz University, Poznan (Supervisors: Prof. UAM Dr hab. Katarzyna Kokocińska, Dr Jarosław Kola), Jagiellonian University (Supervisor: Dr Aleksandra Sołtysińska), University of Lodz (Supervisor: Dr Anna Górczyńska), University of Warsaw (Supervisor: Dr hab. Piotr Bogdanowicz).
The competition was staged in two phases:
- a written part, in which contestants submitted procedural briefs (appeals and rejoinders to appeals).
- an oral part, in which teams (orators) represented their clients at a mock trial before the KIO.
The teams’ ranking following the written part of the competition was as follows:
- University of Warsaw,
- Jagiellonian University,
- Mickiewicz University, Poznan,
- University of Lodz
The briefs were evaluated in terms of the quality of the legal argumentation presented, formal correctness, as well as an unmistakable flair for polemics.
Based on these criteria, the submissions drafted by the University of Warsaw’s team received the highest score.
According to the Rules of the Competition, oral performance received twice as many points as the written part. For this reason, the oral phase was crucial for the final outcome.
During the final part of the competition, the teams took part in a mock trial before the KIO, acting as the parties’ counsel. The teams’ performance was evaluated by a panel consisting of Sylwester Kuchnio, Esq. (Chair), Aldona Kowalczyk, Esq. and Jan Roliński, Esq.
The atmosphere of the finale bore striking resemblance to that of a real court battle before the KIO, the participants showing a high level of preparation for the hearings and full professionalism in the speeches they delivered.
When assessing oral presentations, the jurors took into account the substantive level of the speeches as well as the rhetorical skills of the respective speakers. Highest scores were given for prompt and apposite retorts, and to speakers who managed to keep their cool and come up with creative solutions in unforeseen courtroom situations (e.g. in answers to questions asked by the adjudicating panel).
Conversely, speakers who repeated the arguments presented in the pleadings parrot fashion, excessively focused on allegations that were irrelevant for the outcome of the case, reviewed their opponents’ briefs instead of fighting the substantive accusations that they contained, and especially those reading prewritten speeches, were given fewer points.
Upon adding up the scores for the written and oral parts, the final results of the Moot Court competition are as follows:
- Mickiewicz University, Poznan
- Jagiellonian University
- ex aequo University of Warsaw and University of Lodz
Congratulations to all Winners and Participants!
