Durham Mooting Society Finals Judged by Lord Leggatt at the UK Supreme Court
On 24 February 2026, the Durham University Mooting Society successfully concluded its annual moot finals at the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom before Lord Leggatt. The event provided an invaluable educational experience for participating students while showcasing the strength and coordination of Durham’s student-led mooting community within Durham Law School.
This year, the Mooting Society was honoured to be selected by the Supreme Court as one of the groups granted the rare opportunity to host a moot at the Court. The final was judged by Lord Leggatt, Justice of the Supreme Court, who has delivered numerous leading judgments across a wide range of legal fields.
The final featured four exceptional advocates – Carol Zachariah, Zhi Xuan Claris Lee, Xingjian Ning, and Shivona Chellakootty – who advanced through a highly competitive three-round competition. In this final round, the teams argued a complex contractual dispute concerning contractual variation and penalty clauses.
Having excelled in the earlier stages of the competition, all finalists delivered persuasive oral submissions and responded to rigorous judicial interventions with confidence and composure. Following careful deliberation, Lord Leggatt delivered detailed and highly constructive feedback. His Lordship commended all four finalists for the exceptional standard of advocacy demonstrated throughout the competition. The Respondent team, Xingjian and Shivona, were ultimately crowned winners, particularly in recognition of their outstanding presentation despite advancing arguments on the more challenging ground. Lord Leggatt also highly commended the impressive advocacy displayed by the Appellant team, Claris and Carol.
Reflecting on the occasion, Claris Lee noted:
“It was a truly valuable experience to moot at the Supreme Court, and an absolute honour to appear before Lord Leggatt. We definitely took away a great deal from the day, and we are incredibly appreciative of the Mooting Society for making this happen.”
Curtis Ip, President of the Durham University Mooting Society, added:
“It was a true privilege for the Society to be given the opportunity to visit and moot at the Supreme Court. The event reflects the continued strength of Durham students in advocacy and the Society’s growing presence within national mooting activities.”
The Mooting Society is deeply grateful for the support received throughout the competition. Special thanks goes to Professor Barend van Leeuwen (Professor of EU Law, Durham Law School), as well as Durham alumni Sebastian Gittes (Middle Temple Scholar) and Justin Kong (Inner Temple Scholar), for generously serving as judges in the semi-final rounds. Special thanks are extended to the Executive Committee (particularly Curtis Ip, Luka Kuchukhidze, Imogen Golding-Douglass, Amaan Ali Khan, Vince Ujoodha, Laura Tan, Youyi Wooi) for their tireless efforts in organising this moot and to all the participants for their enthusiasm.
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