The Annual Michael Kirby Contract Law Moot Competition is hosted by Victoria Law School at Victoria University (VU).
About the competition
Mooting is the oldest form of legal training for law advocates. At many universities, mooting competitions can be selected as an elective unit in your undergraduate law degree.
The Kirby Moot demonstrates VU’s strong industry connections. It is a fixture in the legal calendar and has strong support from the County Court of Victoria, members of the Victorian Bar, various law firms and practical legal training institutions. Law professionals are invited to judge the rounds and provide feedback to students.
2025 competition
We are pleased to announce that the 13th Annual Kirby Contract Law Moot will run Monday 22—Thursday 25 September 2025.
Location
This year's competition will be conducted in-person at Victoria Law School, 295 Queen Street, City Campus with the Grand Final appearing at the Federal Court of Australia.
Registration
Registration costs $850 (incl. GST) per team. Only one team per university will be eligible to register.
Key dates
Competitor and team registration open: Monday 2 June—Friday 11 July.
Judge registration open: 1 July—22 August.
Volunteer and observer registration open: 1 July—22 August.
RSVPs for the cocktail party closes: Friday 5 September.
Memoranda for claimant submissions close: Friday 15 August, 11.55pm.
Memoranda for respondent submissions due: Monday 25 August, 11.59pm.
Exchange of memoranda: Friday 5 September, 11.59pm.
Oral hearings in Melbourne: 22—25 September.
The Annual Michael Kirby Oration Ceremony: Wednesday 24 September, 5.30pm.
Semi-final 1, semi-final 2 and final: Thursday 25 September.
Presentations and cocktail party: Thursday 25 September, 7pm.
Event sponsors
Past competitions
Winners
We are delighted to congratulate the Grand Final teams of the 2024 Michael Kirby Moot. The winning team hails from The University of Sydney, with Macquarie University as the runners-up. Well done to both teams for your outstanding achievements! We were also excited to have our first international team from the University of Purbanchal in Nepal joining us.
Our heartfelt thanks go to our major sponsor, Leo Cussen Institute, and Alex Giannopoulos for their unwavering support of Victoria Law School at Victoria University. On behalf of Dean Lidia Xynas and myself, we extend our sincere appreciation to the legal professionals who generously volunteered their time, helping to make the Kirby Moot a valuable and enriching experience for all students involved. We are also deeply grateful to the County Court of Victoria for their continued support in hosting the 2024 Michael Kirby Moot Grand Final.
Lastly, we wish to express our profound respect and gratitude to the Grand Final Judges, whose presence and insights made this event an unforgettable experience for the students:
Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG
Michael Wyles KC
Catherine Holmes AC SC
Adjunct Professor Picha Djohan
David Thomson OAM FACE
Melissa Kirby BA Hons GDLP, Director of Sharpe and Abel Law and Strategy Firm
Catherine Holmes AC SC was appointed Chief Justice of Queensland in 2015 and retired in March 2022. She had previously served as a judge of the Court of Appeal (2006 – 2015) and of the Trial Division (2000 – 2006) of the Supreme Court of Queensland. From 2011 to 2012, Ms Holmes was Commissioner of the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry.
Commissioner Holmes is a graduate of the University of Queensland and the Australian National University, with undergraduate degrees in Law, Arts (Hons) and Economics and a Master's degree in Law. She was admitted as a solicitor in 1982 and as a barrister in 1984. In 1999 she was appointed Senior Counsel.
Ms Holmes was a founding member of the Women's Legal Service (from 1984) and was a member of the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Tribunal (1992 – 2000). From 1998 to 1999 she served as Counsel Assisting the Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions.
In January 2020, Ms Holmes was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for 'eminent service to the judiciary, notably to criminal, administrative and mental health law, and to the community of Queensland'.
Topic: Miscarriages of justice in Australia – some famous (& infamous) cases
The Australian criminal justice system generally works well. Trial by jury, with the presumption that the defendant is innocent, is a great protection against unjust convictions. The availability of appeal to intermediate courts of appeal in each State and Territory provides a further layer of protection; and finally, of course, there is the possibility of obtaining leave to appeal to the High Court of Australia. But every so often a case emerges which shows that the system has failed to recognise and correct injustice.
Remedying of wrong convictions, when it does occur, can take a disturbingly long time. This speech focuses on the cases of five individuals who were wrongly convicted and ultimately vindicated: Lindy Chamberlain, who served three years imprisonment, missing the early years of the child she gave birth to in jail; John Button, who served five years; Andrew Mallard, who spent 12 years in jail; and Kathleen Folbigg and Henry Keogh, who respectively spent the appallingly long periods of 20 and 21 years in custody. What caused those miscarriages of justice? Why did the criminal justice system not work to rectify them? And what might be done for the future, either to avoid such miscarriages happening at all or to remedy them more quickly when they do?
The competition was conducted in-person, Monday 23 – Thursday 26 September 2024, at Victoria Law School, 295 Queen Street, City Campus with the Grand Final appearing at the County Court.
Australian National University (ANU) won the 11th Michael Kirby Contract Law Moot in September 2023, with Bond University taking second place.
Speaker: Julian P McMahon AC S.C.
Julian works mainly in criminal law. He accepts briefs in all jurisdictions.
He has been engaged in many long and complex trials, including in homicide, terrorism, corruption, drug, fraud and, outside Australia, death penalty matters. He has considerable experience in numerous overseas jurisdictions.
In 2021 Julian was made a Fellow of Monash University. In 2017 he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia. He has been awarded the Law Council of Australia's President's medal, an honorary Doctorate in Law from the Australian Catholic University, the 2016 Victorian Australian of the Year, and the Victoria Law Foundation Distinguished Pro Bono Service Award.
Julian holds an Indictable Crime Certificate and is a member of the VLA Criminal Trial Preferred Barrister List.
Congratulations to Macquarie University for winning the 10th Michael Kirby Contract Law Moot in September 2022. The competition was hosted by Victoria University College of Law & Justice and sponsored by Leo Cussen Centre for Law.
Oration
In 2022 the Michael Kirby Justice Oration was presented by the Hon. Dr Barry Jones, AC, FAA.
Congratulations to Bond University for winning the 9th Michael Kirby Contract Law Moot in August 2021. The competition was hosted by Victoria University College of Law & Justice and sponsored by Leo Cussen Centre for Law, the College of Law, Thomson-Reuters, LexisNexis and Oxford University Press.
Olivia Rankine from Bond University was the Best Oralist in the quarter, Semi-final and grand final rounds.
Established in 2010, the annual Michael Kirby Justice Oration provides a platform for leaders within our community to share their experiences, deep understanding, knowledge and reflections on issues of justice.
Contact us
The Kirby Moot and Michael Kirby Justice Oration will be held at our law facilities at 295 Queen Street, part of Victoria University's City Campus in Melbourne. For more information contact Sue Pejic, Moot coordinator.
