To mark the 30th anniversary of the Western Sydney University Law School, the Chief Justice has inaugurated the Sir James Martin Moot.

The Moot is between two rival teams of law students, one from Sydney University and the other from Western Sydney University. The oldest law faculty in Sydney vs the newest.

The 18th Chief Justice of NSW, the Hon. Andrew Bell, in honour of the 4th Chief Justice of New South Wales, Sir James Martin, was held in the Banco Court, Supreme Court of New South Wales, Queen’s Square, Sydney on 2 December 2025 at 5.30 p.m.

The moot was presided over by Chief Justice Andrew Bell, Justice Lonergan of the NSW Supreme Court, and WSU alumnus Judge Imad Abdul-Karim of the District Court.

Each student team was composed of a “Senior Counsel”, a “Junior”, and a “Solicitor”.

The winner was chosen by three real judges, the Chief Justice and a judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the District Court of New South Wales.

The setting was the Banco Court on level 13 of the Joint Law Courts Building in Queen’s Square, Phillip Street, Sydney.

It was a genuinely unique event. Sir James Martin, the Westie who conquered the Big Smoke: Isn’t it remarkable that the hub of our city is named not after a general or a monarch, but as a celebration of the place of the rule of law in our country, a Chief Justice.

Sir James Martin (1820–1886) was Premier of NSW, Attorney-General, and Chief Justice of NSW. Born in Ireland, he and his family relocated to Parramatta in 1821. After attending the Dame’s School at Parramatta, he gained entry to Sydney College (now Sydney Grammar School), walking 20 km each day from Parramatta to the city to attend school. As Premier, Sir James improved educational opportunities in NSW and supported the establishment of the University of Sydney.