THE CECILIA MOOT
The Cecilia Moot! Get involved…
in the UK’s first dedicated animal law mooting competition and develop your advocacy skills. Learn more below!
Want to get involved? Find out more…
about how you can participate in our animal law mooting competition.
Cecilia Moot Registration
Register Interest in Future Competitions
Become a Cecilia Moot Volunteer
Meet our Moot Team! Learn more…
about the fantastic team behind our Cecilia Moot Competition.
Denise Osei, Lead Mooting Officer
Denise is Lead Mooting Officer for the Cecilia Moot Court Competition. Prior to joining A-LAW, she studied at the University of Sheffield for her undergraduate degree in Law (with French Law) and at the College of Europe in Bruges, where she completed her LL.M in European Union Law. In 2020, she won third place for the A-LAW National Essay writing competition. She is presently a Trainee at The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.
Tiffany Mitchell, Legal Support Officer
Tiffany provides student support and academic outreach, as well as providing legal support for A-law’s other project, policy and educative work. Tiffany is from Newfoundland, Canada. She graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland with a BA in Law & Society and German with a certificate in Criminology. She then graduated in 2018 with a LLB from the University of Leicester. Tiffany was a recipient of the Advancement of Animal Law Scholarship awarded by the Animal Legal Defense Fund, a US Animal Law Charity. She also founded and chaired the UK’s first SALDF Student Society at Leicester University Law School.
Our Cecilia Moot winners! Be inspired…
Meet some of our past Cecilia animal law mooting competition winners.
What others said about the Cecilia Moot! Get excited for the moot…
and learn why you should get involved in the UK’s first animal law moot competition!
Thompson G. Page - General counsel to The Center for Animal Litigation, Inc.
‘Participating as a judge in the 2022 Cecelia Moot was a pure delight, and for many who revere the profession, an honor and welcomed professional obligation, to assist and guide future colleagues in their preparation for the law. I only hope my experience from a foreign jurisdiction (US), with its own ever-evolving but often similar body of law concerning allegedly dangerous dogs, added something for the competitors.
The participants performed beyond their experience; they possessed a great grasp of what they needed to do with their organized plans; they delivered effective and cogent arguments; and the finalists responded well to questions put to them – all characteristics of a capable advocate before the court. As a result, we “judges” spent a great deal of time deliberating the winning team and overall winner!
The preparation of these students and the efforts of the UK Centre for Animal Law are an inspiration for our work on behalf of companion animals on this side of the pond as well. I am proud to have assisted them, in my own small way, to further the goal that these creatures deserve the protection of their fundamental rights under the law, wherever that may be, and especially their right to life and a peaceful existence. All the best for now.’ Read more about Thompson’s experience judging our moot here.
Samuel March, Barrister
“I wrote the moot problem for the finals of the 2022 Cecilia Moot. Having judged some of the earlier rounds I was aware of the level of talent that was needed to get into the finals. I chose to focus on the Dangerous Dogs Act, and the differences between the way banned breeds and non-banned breeds are treated under it. Animal Law is a niche area of law, and this was an opportunity for some exceptionally bright students to engage with a controversial piece of legislation which raises knotty legal issues. A-LAW brought together a truly inspiring panel of leading experts to judge the finals. As a junior criminal barrister just starting out in a career in animal law, it was humbling to sit amongst them.”
