In a groundbreaking win for Sri Lanka, law students Bilaal Marikar and Januda Perera emerged victorious at the 2025 Brown Mosten International Client Consultation Competition (BM ICCC) held in Glasgow, Scotland. Representing the country on a global stage, the duo outshone competitors from 21 other nations to bring home the title - marking the first time a team trained by the Moot Court Bench (MCB) has won the prestigious event. Their triumph not only celebrates legal excellence but also highlights Sri Lanka’s growing presence in international legal advocacy.

1. What was the moment like when you found out you had won the final round in Glasgow? 

Bilaal:
It felt very surreal. It took at least a week for the fact that we were world champions to sink in. Going into each round, my only expectation was just to go out and do our best, and when they did announce that we were the winners, I was almost in a state of disbelief. 

Januda:
If I'm to describe the moment we realized we've won in one word, it would be "surreal". We were beyond elated to know that Sri Lanka too is now a champion of this competition and to be quite frank, it still hasn't settled in me that we emerged as winners!

2. Client consultation is such a nuanced skill - how did you approach preparing for this competition, especially knowing you’d be up against teams from 21 other countries? 

Bilaal:
We didn't let the fact that there were 21 other countries taking part intimidate us, that was actually quite exciting for me, because it was a chance to interact and learn from them, and gain an insight into global perspectives. 

Our main intention was to do our best, and in this regard, after each practice session, we focused on incorporating the teachings from our last session into this. 

Huge credit should go to our coach as well, who tirelessly made briefs and scripts for the clients, who made sure we were prepared for different scenarios and contacted lawyers to give us feedback on our performances. 

We had to study all laws and legislature relevant to consumer contracts because we wouldn't know what to expect, and also to think on our feet at all times, while also ensuring that the client was comfortable. 

Our friends from Law College as well as the past participants and winners of the national competition were instrumental in our preparation: there were many times where they would make it to the practice session, be it to give us feedback or to act as the client, at the sacrifice of their own personal time, and this is something we are extremely grateful for. It really did take a village, and the fact that we had people helping us out with the entire process, from the registrations to the visas, that really helped us to put our whole focus on the competition, which was important given the limited time we had. 

Januda:
Client consultation is not a skill that's taught expressly in most law schools both nationally and internationally. There's not many moots/competitions surrounding this aspect of lawyering as well. There were two main elements that we had to be ready for. They were A) To give legal advice and B) To hear the client out and actually counsel them while we are giving legal advice. 

The theme for this year's competition was "consumer contracts". Almost all of the scenarios revolved around a client, a consumer coming to us for advice regarding a purchase they've made. For the competition, teams were allowed to pick a jurisdiction of law and we indeed picked Sri Lanka. Firstly during our preparation we thoroughly went through all consumer rights-related legislation and brushed up on contract law. Learning to properly hear the client out and counsel them was the side of things that we needed to put a bit of effort into.

We are very grateful to the Moot Court Bench for the rigorous coaching we received which enabled us to perform well in this regard. Our coach, Ms. Senuri Silva, arranged many mock consultation sessions and trained us very well through meticulous feedback on the areas we needed to improve on so that we strike the perfect balance between legal advice and counseling, at the international rounds.

All teams at the competition were winners of the national rounds in their respective countries. Hence we knew that we'd be up against the world's best. Thus, we committed as much as we could to the practice sessions since we wanted to put on a commendable show at the competition.

3. What do you think gave your team the edge during the competition? Was there a particular round or scenario where you felt you really stood out?

Bilaal:
The fact that our country has historically been known for our hospitality. I think this culture has seeped into us, and Januda and I are individuals who love meeting new people. I think this natural curiosity and the habits we've had ensured that we didn't really have to learn how to be welcoming or specific things like that, it was something that had been ingrained by our families, and our culture. I feel like this is something that gave us an edge in terms of making sure the consultation felt natural. 

I felt like our best performance came in the finals, when we had to deal with areas like AI which weren't properly regulated by laws, and which didn't have specific legislature. This forced us to think practically and go beyond just sticking to provisions of the law to solve the problem the client had at hand. 

Januda:
Throughout the time we practised for the competition, Bilaal and I got to know each other very well which then translated into good team work during the competition. This was something that judges in the preliminary rounds specifically pointed out as a strength they saw during our performance. We both understood each other very well and that in itself put us at ease during the rounds.

Therefore, I feel that our compatibility and teamwork gave us an edge during the competition. In terms of the rounds, I personally felt that we performed the best in the finals. The finals were open to all other teams to watch as well but by this time, we had eased into the competition, and we had made friends with a lot of the teams. I felt the most at ease during the finals and because of this I feel like we performed the best when it mattered the most, at the finals.

4. Tell us about your dynamic as a team - how did you complement each other’s strengths during the rounds?

Bilaal:
In most things Januda and I are complete opposites, and this actually came in handy, because he was great at certain things that I wasn't very confident in doing, and I would take up certain parts of the consultation that would play to my strengths. I feel like this combination helped both of us to play to our strengths, and also we felt confident in falling back on each other, knowing that if we missed out on anything, the other party would pick it up. 

We didn't really script anything out for the consultation in itself, because that would've made it difficult for us to adapt but having that chemistry and understanding of each other helped us complement each other's strengths. 

Januda:
Like I mentioned before, our dynamic developed a lot during practice. To this end, the advice we received from our national representative, Shanaka Cooray AAL on how we could seamlessly achieve this, during the many sessions we did, came in handy.  Shanaka Amarasinghe AAL and Vishmi Fernando AAL also mentored us on how exactly we should function as a team during the rounds, and we incorporated all their feedback into our practice sessions leading up to the competition. 

When advising the client, we should give both legal advice and other possible non-legal options for them to explore. By the time we went to round 1, we knew well who could explain which option was the best and how to handle any surprise situation that would come up during the consultation.

Thus, we were able to show proper team work with a clear division of work. It was honestly a great strength having Bilaal as my teammate since we complemented each other's strengths very well like I've mentioned and most importantly when there were surprises like we had in round 2 where instead of a consumer, the side of the business walked in as the client!

5. Were there any particularly memorable interactions or moments with other international teams during the competition that stood out to you?

Bilaal:
One of the best aspects was getting to know the teams, and the entire competition experience was elevated for us because of how warm and welcoming every team was! The home team always made sure we felt welcome, along with the organisers and volunteers of the competition, and at the end of the competition we felt like we'd forged friendships that would stand the test of time.

The highlight of the entire journey for me, is the fact that I could share the happiness with every team there, all of them as equally supportive of our victory as if they were also Sri Lankans, and that was amazing. I cannot single out any one team or country, because they were all so supportive, which helped us in our performance as well. 

Januda:
My heart is full when I think of the interactions we had with the other teams and the volunteers. It was such a nice experience getting to make friends from around the world. The highlight of the competition to me was the Ceilidh, a traditional Scottish dance evening and dinner which followed the announcement of Semifinalists, at the end of the second day. All teams were dressed in their own cultural outfits and we of course donned ourselves with sarongs. The dances were so energetic, and all the teams bonded so well on the dance floor!!!

A special shout out to the home team, John and Aimee from Scotland, for their hospitality! Glasgow felt so warm and inviting and they had a huge role to play in that! To Poland, Netherlands, Finland, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Northern Ireland, Wales, India, Malaysia and all other teams, we are so grateful for the love and support they gave us. The love and warmth we felt when we were done with our finals, when we were announced as winners and during the awards dinner, is a feeling I can't really put to words.

6. Now that you've brought home this title, what’s next for both of you in your legal journey? And what advice would you give aspiring Sri Lankan law students who dream of representing the country on global stages like this?

Bilaal:
I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences and whatever we've learnt with those who are willing to take part in the national rounds next year. 

One piece of advice that was given to us, that I'd like to pass down as well, is to not try too hard, and to trust the process.

Januda:
Sri Lanka Law College is the place where I truly found myself. I've learnt so much not just about Law but about so many other things in life from my lecturers, and my batchmates. Special thanks to the principal of Sri Lanka Law College, Mr. Prasantha Lal De Alwis PC and our deputy principal Mr. Shehan C. Perera AAL for always encouraging us and cheering us on.

To the wonderful family, all our friends and seniors who rooted for us to bring it home, I'm indeed very grateful. Knowing that there's many people waiting back home for good news was indeed another factor that made us perform at our best. In terms of what's next, I plan on giving back what I learnt at the competition, to the college community and to all law students at large, through the Moot Court Bench. I've enjoyed taking part in moots and I plan on doing a few more competitions as the case maybe, during my time as a student and along with my friends and teammates, bring glory to college. 

I've seen many law students shy away from opportunities such as mooting due to the language barrier. Most moots are done in the English language and it's understandable that a student who may not have completed their school education in English might find it challenging to now complete their legal studies and do moots in English. But it would indeed be in the student's favor, if they give it a try. I know it's a lot easier said than done but I'm sure that somewhere down the line, they'd realize that taking that step was one of the best decisions they took as a law student. The superior courts function mainly in English.

Therefore, to proceed on to becoming a well-rounded lawyer, having good command in both Sinhala/Tamil (first language) and English will be of immense help. Thus, if it's the English language barrier that's stopping you from trying out moots, jump in. Learn as you go and it'll definitely be of benefit to you, since you'd get the opportunity to sharpen both your written and oral advocacy skills. The Moot Court Bench was where I started my mooting career last year with the International Commercial Arbitration program.

The amount of learning I received is invaluable. Do join the programs that MCB offers as well since the training you receive really pushes you to take the best out of them and sharpen your skills. Be curious, grab as many rewarding opportunities as you can and most importantly love what you do. That way, I believe that you can do well not only in competitions on the international stage but also in your career in the future as lawyers.