vrijdag 30 januari 2009

Q&A - Hovik Begian

- What's your name?
Hovik Begian.

- Why are you participating in the ELMC?
Well, Benjamin Franklin said it best. “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." I believe that this moot competition is the perfect way to fully appreciate that what the law has to offer. The written stage alone has been a great experience for me, I can’t wait to participate in the oral part of the competition.
Plus, it is an excellent opportunity to meet future colleagues from around the world, and the best of all, we can compete with them.


- Did you find it difficult to hand in memoranda in another language?
Oh yes, the difference between the English we hear on the television and its legal counterpart is enormous. However, after a week or two, we got the hold of it. There were other, much more difficult challenges to overcome.

- Why did you not chose French as a language for the memoranda?
The choice was not that difficult since English is the current lingua franca of the international business, law, science, diplomacy and technology. And this was of course the perfect opportunity for us to improve our language skills.

- Would you recommend others to compete next year?
Yes, and don’t let the hard work scare you off. It is worth it. There is more to law than just cramming textbooks.

- Is it ok for law firms with a European law practice group to contact you?
Do zebras have stripes? Of course!

Q&A - Geert Malfliet

- What's your name?
Geert Malfliet.

- Why are you participating in the ELMC?
Because it’s a valuable supplement to my regular legal studies. During my daily studies, I’m not occupying myself with European Law. It is very refreshing and interesting to deal with this kind of law. I think it is necessary for every modern law student to have proper knowledge of EU-law. This competition requires not only theoretical knowledge, but the students also need to put this into practice.

The ELMC is of course the ideal opportunity for students to show their values. In this competition, we compete with students from everywhere in Europe, America and Asia. Like my other team members, I really have the drive to compete with them.


- Did you find it difficult to hand in memoranda in another language?
Of course. There is a big difference between regular English and legal English. It took some time to master this specific jargon, but after a while it all went very well. The content of the memoranda was much more difficult than the language.

- Why did you not chose French as a language for the memoranda?
Like Anthony states, we all have some experience in big lawfirms and it’s very clear that English is the number one language in the legal world. The major part of the books and articles we’ve read about this year’s case were in English. In fact, we’ve never had any dispute about the preferred language.

- Would you recommend others to compete next year?
Absolutely! It will take many hours of work and study, but it’s worth that.

- Is it ok for law firms with a European law practice group to contact you?
Stupid question….

Q&A - Anthony Godfroid

- What's your name?
My name is Anthony Godfroid.

- Why are you participating in the ELMC?
First of all, the ELMC is one of the most renowned moot court competitions in the world. Every year the best law schools in the world take part.
Second, I am particularly interested in European law: for exemple 80 % of Belgian legislation has a direct link with Europe (implementation of directives, regulations, recommendations,...). Europe is everywhere.
Third, I love to compete.
In fact the motto of the ELMC reflects all the main reasons for taking part: "moot, meet and compete".

- Did you find it difficult to hand in memoranda in another language?
In the beginning my team mates and I were struggling with English legal jargon (corporated in v head office v central administration). But after a week things were much more easy.

- Why did you not chose French as a language for the memoranda?
As a bilingual country (in fact trilingual) it would have made more sense to use French. But my team mates and I have had some experience in big Belgian law firms and we agree. English is the number one language in the legal field. French only comes second.
However, we relied not merely on English legal authors, but also on French, Belgian, German, Swiss and Dutch authors and our summary was in French.

- Would you recommend others to compete next year?
I most certainly would. The ELMC is a rollercoaster experience.

- Is it ok for law firms with a European law practice group to contact you?
You bet!