Bond Law has again proven itself among Australia’s best law faculties after placing third in the national round of the world’s most prestigious mooting competition – the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.
Students Kate Mitchell, Catriona Martin, Kate Allan and Brendan Scandrett teamed up to represent Bond University at the renowned mooting competition in Canberra, where they competed against 15 universities from around Australia.
Sponsored by Gold Coast firm the Bell Legal Group, the Jessup mooting team formed in September last year, and after months of intense preparation, late nights, tens of thousands of words and many hours of mooting, their hard work finally paid off.
After upstaging the University of Melbourne team in their quarter final before just missing out to the University of Sydney in their semi, the team was awarded an impressive ranking of third place, (out of 15 competing universities), and won second place for their written memorials.
Team member Catriona Martin said the team was proud of their effort.
"We couldn’t have done any more on the day. We were very happy with our result," she said.
Fellow mooter Kate Mitchell agreed, adding; "It was a very open competition, and it required a lot of self discipline. We knew we would only get out of it as much as we put in, so we gave it everything we had."
Student Kate Allan said the team had learnt a lot from participating in the competition.
"The experience we gained in Canberra was invaluable. Our moots were held in the Federal Magistrates Court and the Supreme Court in Canberra, and we had the opportunity to watch the grand final in the High Court.
"I think I speak for all of us when I say the competition has improved our legal skills beyond sight, and we certainly know a lot more about each other after four months of working so closely together!" Ms Allan said.
Academic Advisor to the team Joel Butler said that it was an eye-opening experience not only for the students, but also for the Faculty staff involved.
He describes his first experience as Academic Advisor to the Jessup team as a "life defining moment".
"Being part of the Jessup team is without doubt a huge amount of work," he said.
‘The team put months of preparation in not knowing exactly how we were going.
"We were all very much in the dark before we actually got down to Canberra; but when we got there, we realised we were as good, if not better, than most, and our results have shown that," he said.
Bond has a history of success in the Jessup Moot competition, having won the national championships on three prior occasions (1999, 2001 and 2006).
Dean of Bond University’s Faculty of Law Professor Duncan Bentley said; "It is such an amazing feat to go to Canberra and perform so well against the best in the country year after year".
"This is an outstanding achievement, made possible by the generous sponsorship provided by the Bell Legal Group.
"I would like to thank the team, their coach Matthew Cantatore, and the Faculty staff, particularly the team’s Academic Advisors Joel Butler and Jodie O’Leary, for their tremendous work and representation of the university at the highest level," Professor Bentley said.
In recognition of the increasing profile of, and support for, our university, the University Council has decided to establish a Development Office which will be charged with developing and implementing fundraising strategies.
Bond University played host to 2006 Australian of the Year Professor Ian Frazer this month. 
It was a French affair at Bond University on February 9, as French Minister of Trade the Honourable Christine Lagarde spoke as guest d’honneur at the 6th Annual Gerard Brennan Lecture and Dinner.
Local high school students have the opportunity to find out just what it takes to be a journalism student for a day at Bond University’s ‘J-Day’. 
Bond students got behind the Shave for a Cure cause this month as the Health Sciences and Medicine Students Association hosted a ‘Health Day’ on campus.
This month we recognise the achievements of Associate Professor Kuldeep Kumar, Dr. Ahmed Khalid, Assistant Professor Caroline Fewster, Professor William van Caenegem, Alumnus Katrin Borchert and current Bond student and stand-up comic Olivia Lesslar, or 'OJ'.
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IT DEGREE OPENS UP A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR TERRY 
FROM FINLAND WITH LOVE
