ATC Emerges First Runner-Up in the National IP Law Moot Competition

Advance Tertiary College has emerged first runner-up in the National IP Law Moot Competition. ATC was represented by Ms. Lee Wai Ying and Ms. Lara Ashley Kaur Lopez, with preparation led by moot coach Mr. Kenneth Koh.

Both students are on ATC’s UK Degree Transfer (Law) programme. Ms. Lee is in Year 2 and Ms. Lara is in Year 1, which makes the result all the more impressive at this early stage of their legal studies.

A national stage for IP advocacy

The inaugural Malaysia National IP Law Moot Competition was organised by the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO). It brought together law students from public and private institutions across the country, where the theme was intellectual property and sports.

Intellectual property is one of the fastest moving area of legal practice. Copyright, trademarks and patents now sit at the center of the digital economy which coupled with sports element pushed teams into addressing questions that real practitioners are only beginning to face.

The format demanded both written and oral advocacy. Teams prepared written memorials on the moot problem before arguing their positions in person, so success required sustained research and argument preparation long before anyone stood up to present their case.

Finishing first runner-up on a national stage in the field of IP is a significant achievement for any law school team.

The team behind the result

Mooting is a demanding discipline. Teams research an unfamiliar area of law, prepare written submissions, then argue both sides of the problem before a bench that interrupts, probes and challenges.

Ms. Lee Wai Ying and Ms. Lara Ashley Kaur Lopez argued in front of experienced judges and strong opposing teams. Competing at national level in Year 1 and Year 2 speaks to their preparation, composure and command of the material.

Behind them stood Mr. Kenneth Koh, ATC’s moot coach, whose guidance shaped the team’s research, written work and oral advocacy throughout the competition. A strong coach turns raw preparation into courtroom judgement, and this result reflects that partnership.

A proud mooting tradition at ATC

This result continues a proud record of success by ATC students in national and international moot competitions. Mooting sits close to the heart of legal training at ATC because it turns classroom knowledge into courtroom skill.

Students learn to build an argument, defend it under pressure and think on their feet. They learn how to read a bench, how to concede a weak point without losing the strong one, and how to hold a line of reasoning while being tested from every side.

Those are the abilities future employers look for, and they are built years before a student first appears in practice. Results like this shows that training does work.

Both team members are on the UK Degree Transfer Programme at ATC, which allows students to begin their law degree in Malaysia before completing it at a partner university in the United Kingdom. Opportunities like national mooting are part of what students build at ATC before they transfer to UK University.

Congratulations, Team ATC

For students weighing up where to study law, results like this one say something useful. Mooting opportunities at national level are not automatic. They depend on a college that enters teams, coaches them properly and backs students who are still early in their degree. ATC has done that consistently, and the record in national and international competitions reflects it.

To Ms. Lee Wai Ying, Ms. Lara Ashley Kaur Lopez and Mr. Kenneth Koh: congratulations on an outstanding performance at the National IP Law Moot Competition.

The whole ATC community is proud of you. For more student achievements and college news, visit ATC News and Events.