Trinity Students Impress in Cuppers Mooting Competition Final

A pair of Trinity undergraduates competed in the Grand Final of the University of Oxford Maitland Chambers Inter-Collegiate mooting competition.

The Cuppers mooting competition for 2021-22 took place over several months, with the final taking place on 24 February between teams from Harris Manchester College and Trinity College, represented by undergraduates Nicolò Gaggero and Rhys Duncan.  

Previous rounds of the competition covered a range of issues including those within Criminal, Contract and Medical Law. The moot problem for this year’s Grand Final involved an appeal to the Supreme Court concerning the defence of illegality with respect to holding shares on trust, and exemplary damages. Trinity’s team represented the Respondent, while Harris Manchester appeared on behalf of the Appellant. The Grand Final was judged by George Hayman QC, David Mumford QC and Gregory Banner QC of Maitland Chambers.

After the moot, the judges delivered a judgment on the merits of the case. While Harris Manchester were declared the winners, the judges emphasised that all four participants had been impressive, and the margin between the two teams was extremely thin. As a result, Maitland will offer mini-pupillages not just to the winning team, but to the runner-up team as well.

Rhys and Nicolò say: 'Taking part in the competition was a challenging, though thoroughly enjoyable experience. In total we competed in a gruelling five rounds across both Michaelmas and Hilary terms against tough opposition and some excellent mooters. Though we fell at the final hurdle in the Grand Final, the experience has been invaluable for improving upon both our written and oral advocacy, with the opportunity to compete in front of, and be judged by, three senior QCs a memorable one!'