Bond Law students retain world champion crown at international IP Moot

Bond Law students Justina Sebastiampillai and Jeremy Butcher have cemented Bond’s position as world champions of the Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) Wanhuida Cup Intellectual Property Moot Court Competition with a victory at the 2016 event. This is the fifth time Bond has won the moot.

The BFSU Wanhuida Cup Intellectual Property Moot Court Competition, which is held annually in Beijing, is an English-language moot competition. The moot focuses on real-life intellectual property issues similar to some that have arisen in the Chinese business sector.

The competition is judged by high profile judges and internationally renowned intellectual property lawyers and experts.

Bond defeated 15 teams to become the 2016 winners; 11 from leading Chinese universities, one from Taiwan and the others from the US and Australia. The legal problem that was the subject of this year’s moot concerned employees claiming compensation for an invention created during their term of employment.

In addition to taking out the top honour, Justina also received the ‘Best Oralist’ award and was asked to deliver the prestigious ‘thank you’ speech to the Judges, on behalf of all the teams in the competition.

Bond Law’s Professor William van Caenegem, who coached the team on the ground in Beijing, said they performed strongly from the start of the competition.

“From the outset, Justina’s and Jeremy’s style and oral advocacy skills were outstanding,” he said. “It was a tough moot but they performed flawlessly.”

“An amazing amount out of hard work went into both their preparation in the six weeks leading up to the event, and from the moment they touched down in Beijing.

“The team worked tirelessly, day and night, and in the end this certainly paid off.”

Justina Sebastiampillai, who is graduating with a Juris Doctor degree later this month, said the BFSU IP moot was a complex challenge on many levels.

“Although the moot was in English, the case itself was Chinese, so research was a major challenge,” she said.

“Not only did we have to very quickly get to grips with Chinese Law and the foundations of the Chinese legal system, but the sources of information at our disposal about the case were very limited, and largely in the Chinese language.

“Thankfully, Bond’s Faculty of Law provided a huge level of support: our academics shared their expertise, feedback and perspectives; we had after-hours access to the moot courts and case study rooms; we received a constant barrage of messages of support from staff and students when we were in Beijing; and we even had alumni who were living and working in Beijing come forward to offer their support.

“It was hard work, preparing without background, but we were determined and committed to continuously improving ourselves throughout the competition process. When we saw how the bench responded to our first moot we knew whether or not we won, we were good enough to win, which gave us an enormous sense of pride and confidence.

“I felt very fortunate to have such a bright and talented teammate as Jeremy, and a coach that was as incredibly experienced and knowledgeable as William.

“It was exciting to see that Bond University has a degree of fame in this competition. The Bond name was instantly recognised and respected thanks to our success and high quality performances in previous years’ events.

“I was very lucky to have a couple of days in Beijing after the competition when the Chinese students took me under their wing and together we went to see the Great Wall and the Forbidden City and visited some of the best restaurants in the city.

“We were overwhelmed by the hospitality of the students and competition organisers. They were so friendly and welcoming that true friendships were forged and we can’t wait for them to come to Australia and visit Bond.

Justina has participated in four moots during her time at Bond: the Sir Harry Gibbs Constitutional Law Moot; the Wilson Moot in Canada; the Universite Paris 13 Sports Law Moot; and the BFSU Wanhuida Cup Intellectual Property Moot Court Competition.

“Although the topics change, the skills required – and acquired – are the same: hard work, dedication, a desire to solve legal problems and a commitment to never stop learning,” Justina said.

“Being part of Bond Law moots has made me realise the importance of understanding law in different jurisdictions and how fundamental relationships with students and academics in other countries are as a future global law professional.

“I am very thankful to Bond for these incredible learning opportunities. The moots have been my favourite experiences so far and are a fantastic way to end my time at Bond.

“I now understand first-hand why Bond has the reputation of having the best mooting program in the world.”

About Bond University

Bond University is Australia’s first private, not-for profit University, offering a personalized academic environment that enables graduates to exceed the outer limits of their potential. Bond’s personalized approach to the education process combined with its uncompromising focus on industry relevance sets Bond University apart from every other Australian university. Bond University has the smallest class sizes in Australia, with a student to staff ratio of 11:1 and comparable to Ivy League schools in the U.S. The small study groups enable students to receive more individualized attention and personal assistance with their work.

Bond University Juris Doctor Overview

The Juris Doctor (JD) Law program offered at Bond University in Australia is a graduate entry professional legal qualification for students having an initial 3 or 4 year undergraduate degree (from any discipline).

The Juris Doctor (JD) program offered at Bond University Law School is a 24 subject professional legal qualification. This program is designed to equip students for a career in the legal profession, business, industry or government, in Australia and overseas. The Juris Doctor (JD) program at Bond University features excellent teaching, small classes and an extensive legal skills program, which provides an exciting learning experience that challenges you academically and prepares you practically for a legal career. You will learn the core skills needed to practice law in a modern environment through Bond Law’s integrated skills program.

Juris Doctor (JD) students have full access to Bond University’s multi-million dollar Legal Skills centre, which incorporates electronic courtrooms, full video conferencing facilities and purpose-built mediation, dispute resolution and Professional Legal Training (PLT) rooms.

The Juris Doctor (JD) at Bond University is constructed to enable graduates to take leading positions in the public and private sectors. Bond’s graduates are now employed in top law firms throughout Australia and across 38 countries, including the USA, UK, Canada, Malaysia and Singapore, as solicitors in private practice, barristers, government lawyers, in-house counsel and academics. Students are encouraged to emphasize specific areas of study they feel will best serve their career ambitions.

The combination of excellent teaching, small classes, international perspective and extensive legal skills program at Bond University provides an exciting learning experience that both challenges you academically and prepares you practically for a legal career.