The Hans Soldan Moot Court (Soldan Moot) is the largest student competition on German private and civil procedural law as well as attorney law in Germany. It takes place once a year in Hanover. For the first time, the University of Bremen has sent a team to the competition. The competition is a simulated court proceeding in the civil chamber of the Regional Court of Hannover (Landgericht Hannover). This year, more than 30 teams compete in written memoranda and oral hearings. The Moot Court is supported by the Hans Soldan Foundation (Hans-Soldan-Stiftung), the German Federal Bar (Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer, BRAK), the German Bar Association (Deutschen Anwaltverein, DAV) and the German Law Faculties Association (Deutschen Juristen-Fakultätentag, DJT). The organizational and academic responsibility lies with Professor Dr. Christian Wolf, Institute for Procedural Law and Attorney Regulations (IPA), Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University Hannover.

In the oral hearings, which take place on 07-09 October 2021, the team of the University of Bremen competes against teams of the Bucerius Law School, the EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht, the University of Cologne and the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. Before the oral hearings, the Bremen team consisting of Franca Braach, Veronika Lutter, Teresa Vida Offenhäuser and Seyyid Ünal as well as the student coach Tilko Hobbie had written an approx. 30-page statement of claim and an approx. 30-page statement of defence on the basis of a fictitious case file. Tilko Hobbie participated in the Soldan Moot two years ago for a team of the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University Hannover. He was therefore able to contribute insider knowledge to the first team participating for our faculty.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the simulated court hearings at the Soldan Moot in Hanover are carried out by means of image and sound transmission in accordance with § 128a German Code of Civil Procedure (Zivilprozessordnung, ZPO). But even in the virtual format, there is a comprehensive virtual social programme with networking events such as a lawyers' market, a joined cooking event and an online wine tasting. In addition, the participating students already had the chance to compete against four other teams physically and in court dress as part of a Pre-Moot in Hamburg.

Regular updates about the further course of the competition are provided on the website of the Moot Court Association Bremen (MCAB) e.V. in the news section “Soldan Moot” (https://www.mcab-ev.de/category/soldan-moot/). The University of Bremen intends to continue participating in the Soldan Moot in the future. The Soldan Moot takes place annually during the lecture-free period between summer and winter term. Participation in this moot court is a rare opportunity to gain experience of the lawyer’s practice during studies. Further information on the competition and the application process for the team of the University of Bremen can also be found under www.mcab-ev.de/soldan-moot/.