2024 Oxford Comparative Moot in German Law
After the successful debut last year, the Oxford Comparative Moot in German Law returned to the Law Faculty on 22 February 2024. The event was made possible by the ongoing and generous support of Dr Martin Mekat and his team from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater PartG mbB. It was hosted by the Institute for European and Comparative Law and organised by Dr Johannes Ungerer, Erich Brost Lecturer in German Law and EU Law, with help from Rebekka Geremew.
The Moot brought together Oxford undergraduate students reading for Law with German Law and German exchange students from Munich and Bonn as well as academics and practitioners interested in comparing English and German law. This year’s case study required the participants to respond to a fictitious consultation by the Law Commission on alternative dispute resolution (ADR).
Representing consumer and business interests respectively, the two competing teams considered the strengths and weaknesses of the German and English legal frameworks and submitted their comparative observations as to potential law reform.
The panel was chaired by Professor Iyiola Solanke, Jacques Delors Professor of EU Law at the University of Oxford and Fellow of Somerville College. She was joined by Dr Julia Lotze from Freshfields and by Dr Ungerer. The panel was impressed by the students’ engagement with the topic, their well-researched responses, and how they handled follow-up questions. The highly constructive and engaging debate revealed the importance of understanding different stakeholders’ perspectives and finding common ground between consumer and business interests across jurisdictions.
The participants received feedback on their performance from the panel as well as certificates and prizes. Following the moot, the participants and all attendees enjoyed the celebratory dinner in the beautiful Pavilion of St Hilda’s College, which provided an opportunity for networking and further conversation.
(Photos: Rebekka Geremew/IECL)