Having overcome the University of East Anglia in the first round of the knockout tournament, where students argue both sides of an appeal from a fictitious lawsuit in a mock court, second year Law students, Krystle Lewis and Yusupha Janko, progressed to defeat a Cambridge team earlier this month.

Krystle and Yusupha, who are both undertaking the LLB course at the University of Bedfordshire, will next face Birmingham City University in the last 16 in March. Both had to compete strongly for their win at the Luton campus, as they presented a contract law case where the claimant had his car damaged in a public car park.

“In the research we conducted, all the cases we found were judged in favour of the appellant,” said Krystle.

“Therefore we had to find snippets which we could use in the argument instead.”

Before representing Bedfordshire in the ESU competition, Krystle and Yusupha first had to earn their places representing the University, outshining other law students to take part, as well as continuing with their studies.

Krystle added: “It is tough as we have to prepare for the competition as well as studying for exams. Nevertheless we’re very happy to have progressed to the third round.”

The competition is the largest and oldest of its kind in the country, receiving entries from teams from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Founded in 1972 as the Observer Moot, it has a tradition of attracting the very best legal brains as its judges and producing the next generation of them from its competitors.

Tom Mortimer, Head of the University of Bedfordshire's School of Law, commented: “The judge complimented Krystel and Yusupha on their research, preparation and the professional attitude in the court environment.

“They are proving fantastic ambassadors for the University and highlighting the good work being done in the Law School.”

Dr Sonal Minocha, Executive Dean of University of Bedfordshire’s Business School, concluded: “The National Mooting Competition is an excellent test for students, not only of their skills in argument but also of their understanding of context and practice in the courtroom. Congratulations to them and to the staff who trained them so successfully. We wish them all the best in the next round.”

The victors of the ESU competition – with the semi-finals and final to be held in London on Tuesday, 24 June – stand to earn £1,000 each, whilst their respective university will also receive a donation of £1,000.

Photo: Yusupha Janko