© Adriana Winkelmeier

The Team

The University of Vienna’s Moot Court team of 2023/24, from left to right: Marah Kobler, Dalma Trebulová, Fabian Jelicic, Moritz Happerger, Viktoria Fichtenbauer, and Hannah Bertoluzza.

This year marked a milestone for the team, as it was the first time participants came from both the Law Diploma Studies and the Bachelor’s Program in International Law. The team was coached by Filip Paspalj and supported by Adriana Winkelmeier.

The 2023/24 competition holds special significance as it marked Filip Paspalj's final Moot Court as a coach, having successfully led the teams of the past three years. His performance as a coach has been outstanding, and the knowledge accumulated over the years will be carried forward by Adriana Winkelmeier, who has already begun to take over coaching responsibilities this year.

Achievements in the Competition

The University of Vienna’s team demonstrated its legal skills at the Europe Rounds, held from 31 January to 2 February 2024. For the first time, the European Rounds were merged and hosted at Université Paris Cité. Our Moot Court team achieved 2nd place, proudly earning the title of European runner-up.

This impressive performance qualified the team for the international rounds in Oxford, held from 15 to 19 April 2024, where they engaged in a week of intense and exciting rounds, competing against top teams from around the world.

The Case

The 2023/24 case centered on a social media influencer and raised complex questions regarding Artificial Intelligence and armed conflicts—subjects at the forefront of today’s global issues.

For more information, have a look at our blog post: Europe Rounds of the Monroe E. Price Media Law Moot Court Competition

© Kilian Mock

The Team

The University of Vienna’s Moot Court team of 2022/23, from left to right: Lukas Klewein, Laura Sark, Anna Lumerding, Anouk Weber, Michael Schmidbauer and Thorsten Besenböck. The team was coached by Filip Paspalj.

Achievements in the Competition

The University of Vienna showcased its legal expertise at the Central Eastern Europe Regional Rounds, hosted at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest from December 1st to 3rd 2022. Notably, the team qualified for the International Rounds at the University of Oxford, which marked a first for the University of Vienna. A particular highlight was Michael Schmidbauer's achievement of 3rd Place Oralist.

The Case

The 2022/23 case centered on freedom of expression in the academic context, covering pressing issues such as AI-based content moderation on social media and freedom of assembly.

The Team

The University of Vienna’s Moot Court team 2021/22, from left to right: Lara Berger, Martin Salamon, Dina Mutevelic, Kristina Petz and Anna Tauber. The team was coached by Filip Paspalj, who took on this role for the first time.

Achievements in the Competition

The University of Vienna participated in the Monroe E. Price Media Law Moot Court Competition for the second time. The team competed in the South East Europe Rounds, hosted online by Eötvös Loránd University from December 7th to 10th, and secured 6th place. A standout performance was delivered by Lara Berger, who was awarded Runner-up Oralist.

The Case

The case examined the balance between freedom of expression and its limitations, and the impact of these limitations on presidential elections. It highlighted the case of a former president and a well-known influencer who made statements on a social media platform that potentially constituted hate speech, fake news, and incitement to violence, thus raising questions about the removal of content from such platforms and the state's responsibility.

For more information, have a look at our blog post.

The Team

The University of Vienna made its debut at the Monroe E. Price Media Law Moot Court Competition in 2020/21. Representing the team from left to right are Irene Kristler, Lukas Bernauer, Nicole Bochnicek, Verena Rauch, Réka Dorottya Varga, and coach Max Königseder.

The Case

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the case centered on pressing issues: freedom of expression and freedom of assembly in times of a pandemic. The team examined how these fundamental rights could be balanced with public health measures, tackling complex legal questions relevant to society today.