“We are confident that this experience will have a lasting impact on our future careers”

16 April 2026

Monika Medved and Tin Šoštarić, from the University of Zagreb, won third place and the award for Best Oralist in the inaugural Myers Moot Court Competition and the award for Best Written Pleading. They reflect on their participation in this blog post.

Our moot court experience was both unique and challenging, but above all, incredibly rewarding. We never expected to have the opportunity to represent our university in an international competition of such significance. One of the most striking realizations came after we shared our experience with a wider audience. We discovered that many people are not familiar with the concept of whistleblowing at all. Even more surprising was the fact that this included numerous law students who had never heard of whistleblowers or understood their importance.

Through this competition, we gained a deeper appreciation of the vital role whistleblowers play in protecting the public interest, as well as the reality that they are often left without adequate protection. The moot court reinforced the importance of EU law in promoting transparency and equality, particularly through the safeguards established by the EU Whistleblowing Directive, and highlighted the seriousness of this issue.

We could not have imagined how much we would develop our skills in legal argumentation, written submissions, and public speaking throughout the process. During the first phase, we learned just how demanding drafting a written submission can be and gained valuable insight into the enforcement of EU law. During the second phase, we had the honor of speaking before judges at the Four Courts in Dublin, which was truly a unique and unforgettable experience.

It was both a pleasure and an honor to participate in the first moot court in Europe dedicated exclusively to whistleblowing law. We are confident that this experience will have a lasting impact on our future careers. The connections we made and the colleagues we met will play an important role in our professional development and our approach to solving complex problems.

This experience also gave us the opportunity to exchange ideas on a wide range of topics with experienced barristers, judges, and professors. The Myers Moot Court Competition works on building the integrity of young people in the legal field, and without that, there can be no good legal professionals. We hope that one day we may return to this competition in a different role.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without our dear and respected professor, Sunčana Roksandić. She was the first to recognize our potential and then dedicated herself, together with a team of international experts, to passing on a wide range of knowledge that ultimately led us to achieve such a significant success. Additionally, she was a source of encouragement throughout this entire experience, for which we are truly grateful. Also, we can proudly say that, as part of our education at the Zagreb Faculty of Law, we have become aware of the importance of sanctioning corruption within economic criminal law, public procurement, and anti-corruption initiatives and projects.

Finally, our message to future participants is simple: we did not expect to win third place or receive the award for Best Oralist Team. We entered the competition to engage with important legal questions and to gain practical knowledge. So do not overthink it. If you dedicate yourself fully and put your heart into the preparation, success will follow.