Projects

About the program

The Warren Moot was named in honour of the former Chief Justice Marilyn Warren of the Supreme Court of Victoria. The Moot provides participants with an opportunity to test their advocacy skills and engage directly with respected members of the judiciary, namely judges of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, County Court and Federal Circuit Court.

The Warren Moot is open to law students, graduates and junior solicitors.

Participants will have the opportunity to attend a pre-competition Launch Night where members of the judiciary and Victorian Bar will provide insights covering advocacy, courtroom etiquette, preparing oral and written submissions.

The Warren Moot is endorsed by VWL's Patron the Honourable Professor Marilyn Warren AC KC and proudly sponsored by Maddocks.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

• Participation is subject to the Moot Rules (view here).
• All participants must be members of VWL
• Registrations will close on Friday, 15 August 2025, or earlier if capacity is reached
• Teams can have a maximum of 4 members
• Each person in the team must register separately
• Once the whole team has registered, please email [email protected] by Friday, 15 August 2025 with your team’s name and members
• If you are individual and would be liked to be placed in a team, please email [email protected] to be placed on the waitlist (places are limited and we cannot guarantee a team placement)

DATES

Launch Event - Tuesday, 29 July 2025. Held at Maddocks.
Round One - Monday, 1 September 2025. Held at Maddocks.
Round Two - Monday, 22 September 2025. Held at Maddocks.
Semi-Final - Monday, 13 October 2025. Held at the Fair Work Commission.
Grand Final - Monday, 3 November 2025. Held at the Banco Court, Supreme Court of Victoria.

Warren Moot Honour Board

2024 Winners - Zanna Gorfe, Charlee Hawkes, Kate Buckley and Elizabeth Seychell.  Best advocate awarded to Elizabeth Seychell.

2023 Winners - Ebony Mack, Lauren Woolley, Amanda Robinson and Summar Altaee.  Best advocate awarded to Madeline Gome from the runner up team.

2022 Winners -  Catherine Zhou, Mary Nguyen, Wei Wen Phang and Felicia Leong (best advocate)

2021 Winners -  Jenna Dimitrakas, Clare Stambe and Monique Scalzo.  Best advocate awarded to Priyanka Banerjee from the runner up team.

2020 Winners -  Amelia French, Amelia Hunter (best advocate), Olivia Smedley and Sarah Tucker

2019 Winners -  Margie Brown (best advocate), Steph Noack and Beatrice Paull

2018 Winners -  Alexandra Harrison-Ichlov (best advocate), Michelle Ainsworth, Eleni Kannis and Emma Ffrench-Mullen

2017 Winners -  Julianna Marshall, Catharine Thorpe, Holly Jager and Paige Darby

2016 Winners - Ellen Williams, Kelly Butler, Bobbi Murphy and Holly Fairhurst

2015 Winners - Reegan Morison, Katherine Farrell, Amy Yeap (best advocate) and Alice Smith

Victorian Women Lawyers (VWL) and the Women Barristers’ Association (WBA) are excited to welcome applications for the 2025 Mentoring Program. This long-standing initiative connects women in the legal profession—including students and practitioners—through one-on-one mentoring relationships designed to foster guidance, support, and career development.

The program is open to law students completing their legal education, as well as legal professionals across all areas of practice. Mentors and mentees are matched based on interests, experience, and career goals. Whether you are just starting out or well established in your career, this is a valuable opportunity to grow and give back through mentorship.

Participants are encouraged to meet at least three times over a six-month period, although many choose to meet more frequently. Meetings can take place in person or online—at events, over lunch, at the office, or wherever suits you best.

The program will include an in-person launch event for mentors and mentees. This year attendees will have the opportunity to hear from a distinguished panel of judicial officers - the Honourable Justice Mary-Jane Ierodiaconou, Justice Rita Incerti and Justice Andrea Tsalamandris, as well as an ex-mentee of VWL’s Mentoring Program, Jasmine Morrison.

Key Program Details:

· Applications close: Sunday, 10 August 2025

· Mentees: can be under 5 years PQE or a law student

· Mentors: can be 5+ PQE or a practising barrister or inhouse counsel

· In-person launch event: Tuesday, 26 August 2025

Program History

Since its launch in 2008, the VWL Mentoring Program has supported over 1,500 successful mentoring pairs. The program was first launched with the endorsement of the Honourable Marcia Neave AO, who chaired the Royal Commission into Family Violence and served as a Justice of the Court of Appeal. In 2016, Justice Rita Incerti joined as co-patron and continues to champion the program today. Justice Incerti is a passionate advocate for mentoring and the advancement of women in the legal profession.

Each year, VWL receives applications from students across a range of Victorian universities, including the University of Melbourne, Monash, La Trobe, Deakin, RMIT, Victoria University, and Swinburne. These students are carefully matched with legal professionals committed to supporting the next generation of women in law.

VWL is proud to see increasing participation from women in regional areas and from diverse backgrounds, including CALD women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and women living with disabilities. This reflects the ongoing importance of mentorship as a tool for tackling inequality, unconscious bias, and barriers to flexible working arrangements in the legal profession.

To learn more about the Mentoring Program or to become a VWL member, please visit our website.

We look forward to welcoming you to the 2025 program.

Please contact the Mentoring Committee at [email protected] if you have any questions.