Competition Time: How to Prepare for the National Speed Mooting Competition (And Keep Your Nerves in Check)
Tomorrow, Saturday 19 September 2026, 128 competitors will gather in London for the National Speed Mooting Competition Autumn Cup.
It is a single-day, in-person advocacy competition. You will receive the materials you need before 6pm today, argue both sides in short, time-limited rounds and face judicial intervention from practising barristers and solicitors.
That format is challenging by design. It tests how quickly you can understand a legal problem, identify your strongest argument and communicate it under pressure.
The fact the the bundle gives you everything you need also means you do not need to spend tonight drafting or researching. Your preparation should be focused, practical and calm.
1. The night before: prepare intelligently, then stop
The materials arrive without prior notice because the competition is designed to reflect the reality of legal practice. You have limited time, and you need to make sensible decisions about where to focus.
Start by reading the bundle once, calmly. Do not try to memorise every sentence. Instead, make sure you understand:
The key facts
The legal issue or issues
The argument for each side
The outcome each side wants
The strongest point available to you
A script may feel reassuring at first, but it becomes difficult to use when a judge interrupts you. Bullet points give you something to return to without trapping you in a fixed sequence.
Set out your clothes and pack what you need before going to bed. Check your route to the venue, including any changes, planned engineering works or delays. Put your phone, charger, travel information and notes somewhere easy to find.
Most importantly, sleep.
There is a point at which further reading stops being preparation and starts becoming panic with a highlighter. You are unlikely to improve your advocacy at 1am by reading the same paragraph for the sixth time.
The aim tonight is not to know everything. It is to know what matters and arrive with enough energy to use it.
2. The morning of the competition: give yourself room to think
Plan to arrive early enough to find the venue, register, settle your things and take a few minutes before the first round.
Travelling across London can be unpredictable. A route that looks simple on a map may involve a delayed train, a long walk or a platform change. Build in extra time so that a small delay does not become your first advocacy challenge of the day.
Eat properly. Choose something that gives you steady energy rather than something that leaves you feeling uncomfortable or distracted. Drink water, and avoid relying on excessive caffeine to manage nerves. You want to feel alert, not as though your skeleton arguments are moving faster than you are.
Before the first round, warm up your voice. You can:
Read a paragraph aloud at a measured pace
Practise saying your opening clearly
Take a few slow breaths
Loosen your shoulders and jaw
Speak through your signposts once or twice
Review your structure rather than attempting to memorise your submissions word for word. Look at your opening, strongest point, likely questions and conclusion.
You are not trying to perform the entire round in your head before you enter the room. You are reminding yourself where you are going.
3. Preparing submissions in a speed mooting format
Speed mooting rewards clarity. You have limited time, and judicial questions may take up a significant part of it. Depth beats breadth.
Choose one strongest point for each side. If you can explain that point clearly, apply it to the facts and answer questions about it, you already have the foundation of a persuasive submission.
A simple structure is:
Opening
Introduce yourself, identify the side you represent and state what you are asking the court to do.
For example, you might explain that you appear for the appellant and invite the court to allow the appeal.
Framework
Give the judge a short roadmap. Tell them how many submissions you intend to make and identify them briefly.
This helps the judge follow you and helps you stay oriented if the discussion moves away from your planned route.
Application
Explain your strongest point and apply it to the facts. Do not merely repeat the legal principle. Show why it matters in this case.
Use clear signposting:
"My first submission is..."
"Turning to the facts..."
"The answer to that difficulty is..."
"My second submission is..."
Conclusion
Return to the outcome you want. Briefly explain why your strongest point supports that result and sit down confidently.
You should also prepare for the two or three questions the judge is most likely to ask. Consider:
What is the weakest part of your argument?
What fact causes you the most difficulty?
How does the authority assist your side?
What would happen if the judge accepts the other side's interpretation?
What is your answer if the judge disagrees with your primary submission?
Do not try to predict every possible question. Prepare for the obvious pressure points and trust yourself to deal with the rest.
Finally, know how to concede a point gracefully. You do not weaken your case by accepting something that cannot sensibly be disputed.
You might say:
"Yes, My Lord. I accept that point, but it does not determine the issue because..."
"I accept that this is a difficulty for my case. My submission is that..."
"That is a fair question. The distinction I would draw is..."
Good advocacy is not pretending that your side has no weaknesses. It is showing that you understand them and can explain why your argument still succeeds.
4. Managing nerves: you cannot eliminate them
Feeling nervous before an advocacy competition is normal. It usually means that you care about doing well.
The goal is not to eliminate nerves. That is rarely realistic. The goal is to manage them so that they do not make your decisions for you.
Try these techniques before and during a round:
Slow your breathing. Breathe in gently and make your exhale longer than your inhale. Repeat this several times before you stand up.
Reframe the feeling. Instead of telling yourself, "I am panicking", try, "My body is getting ready to perform."
Focus on the argument, not yourself. Your task is to explain why your side should succeed. It is not to monitor every movement, gesture or change in your voice.
Use a confident physical posture. Place both feet firmly on the floor, keep your shoulders relaxed and allow yourself to pause.
Return to your structure. If your mind goes blank, look at your next bullet point and begin again with a signpost.
Remember that the judges want you to do well. They are not waiting for you to fail. They are giving you an opportunity to demonstrate your advocacy skills and learn from the experience.
You do not have to look completely fearless. You simply need to keep listening, thinking and speaking.
5. Handling interruptions and judicial questions
An intervention is not an attack. It is an invitation to show that you understand your argument.
When the judge interrupts, stop speaking and listen to the whole question. Do not rush to answer because silence feels uncomfortable. A short pause is professional. It gives you time to identify what has actually been asked.
Then:
Answer the question directly
Keep your answer focused
Use the materials if you need to check a detail
Return to your structure when you have answered
You can use phrases such as:
"Certainly, My Lady."
"May I take a moment to consider that?"
The most important rule is to answer the question that was asked, not the question you hoped would be asked. If the judge raises a difficult point, deal with it honestly before returning to your strongest argument.
A pause is not a failure. Speaking quickly past the question usually creates a bigger problem.
6. If a round does not go well, reset
In a knockout advocacy competition, one round may not go as planned. You may lose your place, misunderstand a question or realise afterwards that you missed an important point.
That happens to everyone. Even experienced advocates have performances they would rather forget.
Do not spend the entire day replaying the previous performance. Instead, make some notes following the feedback you received from your judge so you can reflect on them later. Then, allow yourself to enjoy the rest of the day. Even if you've been knocked out of the competition, you can still enjoy consolation moots (the chance to practice again without the pressure!), our advocacy workshop, a Q&A session with practitioners, plus you get to watch the live final!
One difficult round tells you what to practise. It does not tell you who you are as an advocate.
7. After the competition: turn feedback into progress
When the day ends, reflect. The comments from experienced barristers and solicitors are one of the most valuable parts of a mooting competition.
Write down:
What worked
What you found difficult
What the judge noticed
One change you will make next time
Advocacy is a continuous learning process. You do not become confident by waiting until you feel ready. You become more confident by practising, receiving feedback and trying again.
That is useful whether you are preparing for pupillage, a training contract, a legal assessment or your first advocacy exercise. The same skills matter: clear analysis, confident delivery, careful listening and composure under pressure.
The Legal Skills Academy provides ongoing practical training in advocacy, public speaking and commercial awareness. It is designed as a supportive place to practise, receive structured feedback and build your skills over time, with materials provided for the sessions.
Places for the Autumn Cup are now full, but future Speed Mooting competitions are announced through the mailing list. Keep an eye out for the next opportunity to test yourself.
For tomorrow, keep it simple: understand the problem, choose your strongest point, use your structure and breathe before you answer.
Good luck. Speak clearly, listen carefully and give yourself permission to learn.
