Inaugural Jonathan Cooper LGBTQ+ Mooting Competition at Oxford University

Joe Middleton and Oliver Lewis were delighted to judge the final of the inaugural Jonathan Cooper LGBTQ+ Mooting Competition at Oxford University’s Law Faculty, together with Tarunabh Khaitan (Professor of Public Law and Legal Theory and Head of Research in the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights). The event was organised to celebrate the life and work of our much loved and much missed colleague, Jonny Cooper.

The moot drew an excellent group of enthusiastic law students, who argued for or against (on the toss of a coin) a court ruling upholding a ban on gay marriage from a fictional Caribbean jurisdiction. The winning team was Luca Montag and David Zuther, with a strong performance from runners up Shanaz Sharonsenthil and Kuberan Kumaresan.

Joe and Oliver congratulated all the moot participants, especially those who made it to the final found. “Jonny would have been very pleased with the fact that this important event was taking place at Oxford. He would also have been hugely impressed, as were we, with the very high standards of the participants. He devoted so much of his life to inspiring young lawyers and promoting a better understanding of human rights and LGBTQ+ legal issues, so this was a wonderful way of continuing his life’s work.”