Mental Health Discrimination Moot Competition

This moot competition aims to raise awareness and understanding of mental health issues within the legal context, providing students with the opportunity to apply their legal knowledge for the public interest. Participants will engage in simulated litigation proceedings that focus on legal recourse for individuals experiencing discrimination due to mental health conditions, exploring the intersection of law and mental health advocacy.

Through the moots, students will have the chance to examine important themes, including discrimination in healthcare, where they will investigate the barriers faced by individuals with mental health conditions in accessing care and equal treatment. They will delve into legal protections, gaining insights into current laws and regulations that safeguard against discrimination based on mental health status. Additionally, students will analyze societal attitudes and their impact on the rights and treatment of individuals with mental health challenges, engaging with real-world scenarios and relevant case law that illustrate the complexities of discrimination in legal contexts.

Through rigorous preparation and participation, competitors will enhance their legal research, drafting, and advocacy skills, at the same time as gaining valuable insights into the challenges and progress being made in mental health law. This competition serves not only as a platform for showcasing legal talent but also aims to inspire future legal professionals to contribute to equity and justice within public interest law.

Eligibility: Open to all undergraduate law students and Juris Doctor candidates studying in Hong Kong.

Team Structure: Each team consists of 2 members. Students are responsible for forming their own teams, with one acting as leading counsel and one acting as junior counsel. Members of each team are not required to be studying at the same university. Teams shall be responsible for allocating the roles amongst themselves. Each team’s application will be assessed as one joint application (i.e. individual members of one team will not be assessed independently).

Competition Structure: A maximum of ten teams (20 students) will be selected to compete in the moot competition based on their academic ability and interest in public interest law and mental health matters. Teams chosen to participate will be notified and provided with a copy of the moot problem closer to the competition date.

Each team should prepare two skeleton arguments: one for the appellant and another for the respondent. Each skeleton argument must include submissions for both leading counsel and junior counsel. Authorities will be provided with the moot problem; any authorities not listed may not be included in the written submissions or referenced during the moots.

Each team will compete once and will be randomly allocated to argue on behalf of either the appellant or the respondent on the day of the competition. 

All teams will be evaluated against a rubric, based on criteria such as the strength of legal arguments, clarity of presentation, and overall advocacy skills, and the winning and runner-up teams will be determined through the deliberation of all judges.

For any inquiries, please contact us at [email protected].

PILnet’s Mental Health Discrimination Moot Competition is supported by: