Sixteenth Anniversary of the NUJS-HSF Corporate Law Moot Competition

The firm is proud to have sponsored the sixteenth annual NUJS-HSF Corporate Law Moot Court Competition in Kolkata, India – a collaboration between the West Bengal National University of Judicial Sciences (NUJS) and Herbert Smith Freehills.

The moot competition has grown to become one of the most popular and prestigious mooting events in India. Held across three intense days (26-28 January 2024), the competition aims to elevate the standard of experiential and applied legal education in India, showcasing student talent and learning.

This year's moot problem was drafted by Prof. (Dr.) Umakanth Varottil, Professor at the National University of Singapore. The final rounds were judged by a panel that included Prof. (Dr.) Varottil, Sidharth Sharma (GC of Tata Sons), Kunal Mehta (Head Legal Counsel – M&A, JSW Steel), Saurya Bhattacharya (Partner, JSA) and Professor V.K. Unni (IIM Kolkata), alongside Herbert Smith Freehills' Head of India Disputes Andrew Cannon and Herbert Smith Freehills Of Counsel Anuradha Agnihotri. Each judge brought a unique perspective and the questions were challenging, practical, commercial and theoretical.

The winner was National Law School of India University (NLSIU) Bangalore, with runners up Institute of Law, Nirma University. Best Oralist went to Divya Karda, Institute of Law, Nirma University, Best Appellant Memorial to NLSIU Bangalore, and Best Respondent Memorial to Institute of Law, Nirma University.

Andrew Cannon commented: "It was fantastic to be involved with the competition again this year. Once again we were blown away by the quality of the students and their approaches to tackling the moot problem. Our thanks to NUJS, Professor Varottil, and all of the judges and participants for another standard-setting event."

India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and Herbert Smith Freehills' market-leading India practice has a track record of advising clients on some of the most high profile and significant cross-border transactions, projects, disputes and debt and equity financings relating to the country for both international clients and Indian corporates. The practice is based across our London, Singapore, Dubai and Hong Kong offices.