“The Federal Constitutional Court!” With these – badly colored – words of the judicial servant, the oral hearings before the Federal Constitutional Court begin – with these words, a new event at the Faculty of Law of the University of Münster is to be announced, which our students of the 1st - 4. Subject semesters are introduced to constitutional law in a different way than usually happens in lectures and working groups: The Constitutional Moot Court (VMC).

What is the Constitutional Moot Court?

It is a competition between student teams in which the participants argue against each other in a simulated trial before the Federal Constitutional Court. The subject of the trial is a case that raises current constitutional questions.

How is Constitutional Moot Court?

The actual Moot Court takes place at the end of each summer semester with some “safety distance” before the final exams, so that there is time to intensively prepare for the exams. The case will be spent about six to eight weeks before that date. During this time, the teams of regular four people work out the case both in legal and in the representational point of view, with caregivers at your side. On the actual day of the event, all teams will compete against each other in front of a bench of judges, which is composed of professional judges, lawyers and scientists. The judges give the pleadings in the preliminary rounds points for legal reasoning and representation; the four best teams then qualify for the main round, consist of semi-finals and finals. In addition, the best speakers and the team with the best team spirit will be crowned.

Who can participate in the Constitutional Moot Court?

Students of the University of Münster who will be able to participate in their 1 to 4 at the time of the competition. Studying semesters or taking the field of law as part of a bachelor's degree.

Why should you attend the Constitutional Moot Court?

There are many reasons why the effort and the work is worthwhile: Those who participate in the Constitutional Moot Court learn to deal intensively with a legal topic; the ability to examine legal and actual facts from different sides is also trained – important for each exam! – and as party representatives to emphasize the arguments that are favorable and presented as convincingly as possible. When drafting the pleas, the participants learn to present legal arguments convincingly and rhetorically skillfully. All these are skills that are needed for almost every legal profession – so the VMC is a very practice-oriented event. For students who might want to participate in one of the international moot courts later on, there is an excellent opportunity to familiarize themselves with the “lawyer’ work technique already in their undergraduate studies. Participation in the VMC demands and promotes the ability to work in a team and – so the unanimous judgment of all those involved so far – is simply fun. In addition, there is the possibility to get in touch with the lawyers among the VMC judges in order to find out about internship opportunities.