Mooting has always been seen to be important in the development of oral presentation and practical skills throughout each of the academic, vocational and practical stages of legal education.

The Moot itself consists of four speakers, divided into two teams of two: two appellants and two respondents. Each team is also divided into a leading (or senior) counsel and a junior counsel. Despite the terminology of ‘leading’, ‘senior’ and ‘junior’, all counsel are of equal importance. The proceedings are presided over by at least one judge (sometimes three depending on the stage of the competition). The appellants propose the appeal on the grounds given, while the respondents argue against the appeal. Each counsel is given 15-20 minutes (dependent upon individual competition rules) to present his/her case before the judge(s), to make ‘their submissions’ and the judge may intervene with questions to clarify the party’s position

Typically, the moot court is a simulated appellate hearing before either the Court of Appeal or House of Lords. Moots within the United Kingdom generally focus on local law ranging from the law of contract to criminal law. In addition, there are a variety of regional and international moot courts that draw students from different countries. These tend to be specialist moot courts focusing on a particular area of law such as maritime or international law.