The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts and Middlesex University Dubai are delighted to invite law students from the UAE and around the world to participate in the DIFC Courts Digital Economy Court (DEC) Moot Court competition to be held online from Saturday 26 to Sunday 27 November 2022.
The moot is open to students from all global universities, and teams must consist of a minimum of two (2) and a maximum of four (4) students. Participating students should be actively enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s programme of law and should not possess any professional pleading experience. Participation is free-of-charge. The competition consists of a written submission and oral advocacy and includes preliminary rounds, quarterfinal rounds, semi-final rounds and a final round. The moot problem has just been released, and the registration of teams closes on Friday 30 September 2022.
The moot is organised to test case the much-anticipated new DEC Rules, which have been drafted specifically for DIFC Court’s newly launched Division. The new global court division is tasked with streamlining and simplifying all complex civil and commercial disputes related to the worldwide digital economy. The Court will address sophisticated national and transnational disputes related to current and emerging technologies ranging from big data, blockchain, AI, and cloud services to unmanned aerial vehicles, 3D printing, and robotics.
Justice Michael Black, DIFC Courts, said: “The launch of the Digital Economy Court demonstrates Dubai’s determination to play a leading and pioneering role in developing judicial systems suited to the needs of the digital economy. The Court is the first of its kind in the world offering procedures designed to provide flexible, efficient and economical access justice for those operating in the digital economy both within the UAE and internationally. In early 2022, the new court commissioned a group of international lawyers and industry experts to draft new rules for the Digital Economy Court, which then were subject to a 30-day public consultation period.
“We are delighted to introduce the new Rules in the innovative virtual Moot Court, which will also provide a unique opportunity for law students to develop their skills and knowledge before a panel of professional legal experts.”
Dr Tenia Kyriazi, Head of Law & Politics and Deputy Director Academic Operations at Middlesex University Dubai said: “Middlesex University Dubai was the first University to offer a face-to-face LLB (British Qualifying Law Degree) in the region. The programme has become one of the most influential and popular programmes for Law in the UAE thanks to our ability to produce highly employable legal graduates. We are delighted to be partnering with DIFC Courts to promote the importance of providing law students with the opportunity to improve their practical legal experience through the DEC Moot Court. Participation in moot competitions provides students with the opportunity to hone their written and oral advocacy skills, strengthen their legal knowledge, improve their analytical skills, and acquire practical experience in applying legal rules to complex disputes. Participants in this moot will also be able to develop and enhance their soft transferrable skills, which will allow them to compete effectively in other international moot competitions and possibly pursue a career in dispute resolution.”
By participating in the moot, students will gain valuable insight into the new rules adopted by the DIFC Courts to resolve disputes in relation to conflict on matters such as transactions of digital assets and other rapidly emerging technology-related cases. At each stage of the competition, students will receive valuable constructive feedback from distinguished legal professionals, who will act as Judges. This will provide participating students with the opportunity to develop and strengthen their professional network and enhance their employability in the competitive global legal profession.
Interested students can visit dec.difccourts.ae/moot-court to register their team by Friday 30 September 2022; access the moot problem, detailed instructions and information about the format and organisation of the competition; and view the applicable DIFC Courts Rules and DEC Rules.
