Margaux Clément: "The ELMC is a unique opportunity not to be missed!"

From May 4 to 7, the final of the European Law Moot Court (ELMC), the prestigious international moot court competition, was held at the Court of Justice of the European Union. The ULiège team, represented by Margaux Clément, came back victorious, winning the title of "Winning Advocate General".

What made you, Sophie Dodemont, Roxane Weerts and Alexander Debouck decide to try your luck at ELMC? 

Above all, we are passionate about European law. Personally, it was during my master's degree that I realized that I particularly liked this subject.

If you are a European law buff, the ELMC is a great opportunity. It is a prestigious competition, but also an exercise much more focused on practice than the dissertation. You literally put yourself in the shoes of a lawyer: you have to do research, write conclusions, plead... All this in English and in front of a jury composed of experts and judges of the Court of Justice of the European Union.

How did you prepare?

Last year, Roxane and I had already participated in Jonathan's moot court preparation courseWildemeersch.

Moreover, from the very first stages of our participation in the ELMC, we were coached by Simon Troch and Maxime Tecqmenne. They both participated in the competition and were therefore able to guide and advise us all along the way. I think their support is what allowed us to go so far!

We also had the privilege of being supervised by four prestigious law firms: Allen & Overy, White & Case, Claeys & Engels, Latham & Watkins and an academic, Professor Quentin Detienne.

How does the competition work?

At the beginning of the academic year, ELMC publishes a legal case on its website. To participate in the competition, teams must submit two written pleadings of 15 pages each by the end of November: one from the defendant's point of view, and one from the plaintiff's point of view.

Around January 15, the ELMC publishes the names of the selected teams, 32 in total. It is then time to prepare for the regionals and the oral exam. The team members divide up the 4 roles: plaintiff, defendant, legal counsel and general counsel. The plaintiff and defendant each plead with their legal counsel, while the general counsel pleads alone.

In our case, the regional was held at the University of Madrid. I qualified for the semi-final and then for the final. The final took place at the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg in the Grand Chamber of the Court. It was quite impressive!

What do you take away from this experience?

A lot of things! First, it allows you to deepen your knowledge in very specific areas of European law. You practice writing pleadings and arguing in English, you learn more about the functioning of the European Court of Justice and the role of the lawyer.

Secondly, it is very rewarding on a personal level. It taught me to develop my self-confidence and my ability to work in a team. It's a long-term job, which lasts 9 months with research to be done, meetings...: you have to learn to manage the pressure and your schedule.

Finally, on a human level, it's an opportunity to make connections with a lot of people: students from other universities, but also coaches and other team members.

Moot court competitions are often seen as a springboard to the bar. But they can also lead to a scientific career...

Yes, absolutely! I will be joining the European law department next year and I am convinced that my participation in the ELMC has contributed to this. Preparing for the competition allows us to demonstrate our analytical and research skills. And it is also a great proof of our ability to work as a team.

I sincerely recommend that all law students take the opportunity to participate in this type of competition!