Pupil Maurice Holmes wins The Times 2TG Moot
Described as “a triumph” by the master of the rolls, Lord Dyson, the final on Monday of the inaugural Times 2TG Moot – in a Middle Temple Hall packed with legal glitterati – brought to a climax six months of tough competition in the UK’s largest mooting event. Two pairs of finalists – John Williams and Cara Goldthorpe for the appellant and Maurice Holmes and Michael Harper for the respondent – argued their cases heroically before a panel of relentless judges: Lord (Anthony) Clarke, Lord Justice (Christopher) Clarke and Sir Richard Aikens.
In the end there was barely a sliver of silk between the pairs, but Holmes & Harper edged ahead to receive from guest-of-honour, Lord Thomas, lord chief justice, the trophy (commissioned by Paul Downes, KC, the inspirational figure behind the 2 Temple Gardens moot) and cheque for £4,000.
The moot hinged on two key legal concepts – “contractual estoppel” and “vicarious liability” – and how they applied in the case of Jones v Speedy Car Parks. At the heart of the problem was the behaviour of Richard Jones, of the (fictional) trio of Jones siblings whose calamitous ventures into the English courts provided rich material for each round of the competition.
