The team from the Faculty of Law at Universidade Nova de Lisboa is the winner of the second edition of AI.Moot Court, a leading competition at the intersection of law and technology, organised by VdA Academia in collaboration with YouLearn Academy, which challenges students to take part in a mock trial using Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The grand final of the competition took place at VdA’s Lisbon office on 8 May, and the awards ceremony was hosted by Inês Antas de Barros, ICT Partner and Head of Innovation at the firm.

This second edition of AI.Moot Court saw the participation of 96 students from seven different countries and representing seven universities. During the various stages of the competition, the written and oral submissions were assessed by a panel of VdA lawyers: António Aguiar Cortês, Betyna Jaques, Gonçalo Pacheco Vilela, Guilherme Oliveira e Costa, Iñaki Carreira, Ivanna Gomes, Joana Simas Leite, Joana Vasconcelos Peixinho, Martim Farinha, Regina Lourenço Baptista, Ricardo Ramos Lourenço, Rodrigo Pacheco Bettencourt, Sara Martins and Sara Pinto Ferreira. Also participating as external judges were Professors Ana Rita Gil, João Azevedo, Martinho Lucas Pires and Ricardo Oliveira.

The competition enables students to practise applying public international law by resolving a practical case, whilst developing essential skills such as drafting pleadings, legal research, working with AI, oral presentation, argumentation and procedural strategy.

Winning Team – NOVA School of Law
Mariana Inácio
Mariana Reis
Clara Cowlishaw
Maria Henriques
Pedro Oliveira
Natacha Santos
Prize: €8,000

Runner-up – FDUL
Tiago Gouveia
Manuel Castello Branco
Marta Couto Ferreira
Maria da Luz Lobo Antunes
Martim Alves
Vicente Graça
Prize: €1,000

Best Written Memoranda – NOVA School of Law
Rita Vidinha
Sónia Paulo
Madalena Dias
Leonor Santos
Maria Timóteo
Nuno Pereira
Prize: Summer internship at VdA

Best Speaker – NOVA School of Law
Neil Nkoyock
Prize: Summer internship at VdA

Best AI Evidence – NOVA School of Law and FDUL
Neil Nkoyock
Thibaut Convié
Nelson Jáquez-Lorenzo
Diogo Montenegro
Prize: AI workshop at YouLearn Academy