Best legal minds
Universiti Teknologi Mara emerged as champions of a mooting competition.
UNIVERSITI Teknologi Mara (UiTM) has emerged as champions of the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) International Arbitration Moot 2016 in the Asia Pacific rounds.
The moot was divided into three regional rounds - Asia Pacific, South Asia and Africa as qualifying rounds for the finals which will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina from Nov 3 to 6.
UiTM’s five student representatives from its Law Faculty entered the fourth Asia Pacific rounds which was held in August at the Seoul National University School of Law, Seoul, South Korea.
A moot court competition imitates proceedings followed in real courts, simulating a real court environment where participants will have to adhere to court decorum and procedure.
It is a legal debate between two teams who will be evaluated by legal practitioners.
During the competition, students dabbled with international investment law which essentially revolves around the legal relationship between states and foreign investors.
The Moot 2016 saw the participation of 20 teams from Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Vietnam, Philippines, South Korea and Japan.
Team member Amiza Murad, 21, said she felt happy and excited as it was her first international moot competition.
“The fact that we put Malaysia on the map in the legal world is inspiring.
“I hope that this will inspire others to always aim for the best!” she said, adding that the team would not have reached that far into the competition without the support of their families and UiTM.
The third year law student said participating teams were divided into four groups and went through four preliminary group stages before proceeding to the qualifying rounds.
UiTM won all four rounds and topped their group.
“We won the Best Claimant Brief award for our written memorials and the Best Oral Team, making us the Asia-Pacific champions.
“We are going to represent the Asia Pacific region in the world finals in Argentina where we will be facing many renowned universities such as Harvard University, King’s College and New York University,” she added.
Amiza said participating in mooting competitions such as the Moot 2016 helps aspiring lawyers gain a practical understanding of issues that arise out of obligation between states and foreign investors.
“By bringing academicians, practitioners and future lawyers together, a forum is created not only to discover emerging talents but new developments in the fields discussed,” said Amiza.