On November 18, the Commercial Court of Vienna was the scene of the “Moot Court” competition, which was held for the first time this year. The format, in which a court hearing is simulated, is aimed at students who are attending the 4th grade of a Jus-HAK. Founded four years ago, there are now such Jus-HAKs at eleven locations throughout Austria, one of which is Linz-Auhof.
The event was a complete success for the Linz school team – consisting of Benedikt Otasek, Sebastian Stoderegger and David Höbarth. They won three rounds of negotiations, the overall victory and the prizes for the best brief and the best plea. The people of Linz were deployed twice as opponents of revisions and once as applicants for revisions.
The fictitious case, which had to be processed with the support of Schönherr Rechtsanwälte Linz, was quite demanding. Specifically, it was about a pharmaceutical company that repeatedly employed a worker on a fixed-term basis. When he was transferred to another area and raised moral concerns because of his Roman Catholic faith, the employer allowed the chain labor contract to expire. This stringing together of fixed-term employment contracts is forbidden in and of itself.
“Perfect” performance
The scenery in the commercial court was very impressive, says Höbarth. The nervousness was kept within limits because the school had practiced diligently beforehand. Working in a team of three worked well, says Stoderegger. The different questions such as “What is a chain employment contract?” or “To what extent are there grounds for discrimination?” had been divided up and worked out in advance. The responsibilities were clearly divided: “That’s why we didn’t interrupt each other when the judge asked something.” One challenge was adjusting to the changing opposing teams and their strategy, says Otasek.
Director Irene Ackerlauer is very proud that her students did so well. Words of praise can also be heard from teacher Veronica Branz, who speaks of a “perfect” performance.
Open-door day
Anyone interested in the Jus-HAK should make a note of next Friday (November 25th). From 10.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. there will be an open day on the Aubrunnerweg.
Source: Nachrichten
