LawInSport launches new look Global Sports Law Arbitration Moot (SLAM) with finals in London
Press release
LawInSport, the world’s leading sports law knowledge hub and global community, is pleased to announce the launch of a new look global Sports Law Arbitration Moot (SLAM) for 2021-2022. The aim of this world class mooting competition is to promote greater knowledge of the values and rules of international sports arbitration, a key dispute resolution mechanism in the sector. The competition is open to all students. There is no barrier to entry.
SLAM will give students from around the world the opportunity to:
- Develop and showcase their legal and advocacy skills before the world’s leading arbitrators and judges virtually and in-person;
- Gain real world experience of international arbitration under the procedural rules;
- Receive training on writing submissions and advocacy from some of the world’s leading advocates and arbitrators in world sport.
The competition will use the prevailing Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS/TAS) Code of Sports-related Arbitration (CAS Code). The cases for each round will be based on real world scenarios and the registered teams will need to familiarise themselves with CAS case law and sport rules that may be relevant to their arguments.
The written submissions in the preliminary round will be evaluated by a selected panel of Lawyers and Arbitrators. The successful teams will then be put through to the Quarter Final stage. Thereafter the focus of the assessment will be on oral advocacy. At each stage of the competition, the party for which team is asked to advocate will be assigned randomly which may mean acting for the same party more than once.
Full details of the Competition Rules and a Frequently Asked Questions section will be posted in due course.
Competition Timeline
- Registration Open - 9 November 2021
- Registration Closes - 1 December 2021
- Course - how to write legal submissions - 9 December 2021
- Case sent to registered teams - 17 December 2021
- Period for clarification questions - 18 December to 5 January 2022
- Written submission deadline - 14 February 2022
- Results of written submission judging announced to teams - 14 March 2022
- Course on making effective oral arguments (open to all registered teams regardless of qualification into the quarter-finals) - 17 March 2022
- Quarter Finals (Online) - 21-27 March 2022
- Semi-Finals & Finals (In person) - 21-22 April 2022
The Semi-Finals and Finals will be held in London.
Register your interest here to enter a team.
To find out more information on how to participate and support this competition visit the SLAM Competition page here.
Entry & Eligibility
The entry fee per team is £50.
Financial assistance - a team can qualify for financial assistance to enter the competition please email
Student status - Students cannot enter if they have been licensed to practice law in any jurisdiction. You must be registered as a student (full or part time) at the time of registration
Team Registration
Teams consist of two team members per team.
To register your interest here to enter a team.
Prize
The winning team will receive a prize of £1,500 and the runners-up a prize of £1,000. All four finalists will also receive tickets to LawInSport’s Annual Conference or Football Law Conference.
About SLAM
SLAM is a not-for-profit competition with the entry fees being used to fund the administrative and organisational costs (including travel assistance for finalists if needed) as well as the education of participants.
SLAM has been designed to make sports arbitration more inclusive and diverse, so that no matter where you are located or your financial circumstances you will be able to participate.
SLAM was founded in 2019 by SportLex - Sports Law Institute (Ljubljana, Slovenia) and supported by LawInSport since its conception. SLAM is now a LawInSport event.
Blaz Tomazin Bolcar, founder of SportLaw and co-founder of SLAM said: “We are very excited about the future of SLAM. It is the right time for SLAM to develop further and reach its potential, much like when your child leaves home for University. Passing the project to LawInSport is the way SLAM will truly become the world’s premier sports law moot.”
Sean Cottrell, Co-Founder of LawInSport, added: “It is a privilege for LawInSport to be entrusted to develop SLAM and help to ensure that sports law and alternative dispute resolution in sport is more accessible to people from all parts of the world. It is an exciting and inclusive project which we know will add tremendous value to the sports law community. In the long-term SLAM will be an important project helping to develop talent and raise the advocacy standards of sports law practitioners.”
Arbitrator Registration
If you are a CAS Arbitrator and would be interested in supporting this competition please complete the following registration form. We wish to ensure that we have enough Arbitrators to evaluate the written submissions, and we will need to fill at least 21 oral argument arbitrator positions.
The registration form seeks your interest in either or both phases and your availability.
The registration form seeks your interest in either or both phases and your availability.
Global Summit 2024