Public Interest Law Moot Court Competition
CALS is proud to partner with the Student Litigation Society (SLS) to host the Public Interest Law Moot Court Competition. We invite law students from any university in South Africa to participate
While South Africa has seen significant gains since transitioning to a constitutional democracy, there is still much work to be done to ensure true equality and social justice for all. South Africa needs a new generation of human rights lawyers with the energy, ingenuity and skill to respond to the ongoing socioeconomic and political fallout from the issues we still face today. The Public Interest Law Moot Court Competition aims to expand the social justice sector by introducing law students to the prospects of a fulfilling career in public interest law.
Competition objectives
- Offer public interest litigation as a viable and fulfilling career option for law students
- Assist law students interested in human rights law to build skills in research, writing, analysis and oration
- Supplement the law curriculum by giving participants the opportunity to grapple with complex and emergent human rights issues while using a constitutional lens
- Provide an opportunity to model both the soft and hard skills at the core of litigating in the public interest
- Provide participants with the opportunity to build a community with fellow students interested in public interest lawyering
- Introduce participants to the wide variety of organisations and individuals doing work in the public interest sector
- Deepen students’ understanding of South Africa’s history which underpins present structural inequalities, poverty, and discrimination whose dismantling lies at the heart of public interest lawyering
About the organisers
The Centre of Applied Legal Studies (CALS) is a public interest law organisation based at the Wits School of Law. CALS is also a law clinic registered with the Legal Practice Council. As such, our organisation connects the worlds of academia and social justice through research, advocacy and litigation.
The Student Litigation Society (SLS) advances practical legal education at an undergraduate level with the aim of equipping students and prospective legal practitioners with the skills required in the legal profession. Find out more about the Student Litigation Society.
Follow #PILMOOT on Facebook and Twitter to follow the developments of the competition.
Watch the video below for highlights from the final rounds of the 2021/2022 PIL Moot Court Competition.