YEARLY SUMMARY FOR BRU 2025

The Bharat Raj Upreti Memorial Foundation, in collaboration with Pioneer Law Associates, successfully organized the 6th Bharat Raj Upreti Memorial Foundation Moot Court Competition and Conference on the 4th and 5th of July 2025. The event drew participation from distinguished guests from the Supreme Court, the Office of the Attorney General, High Court Patan, Special Court, Labour Court, Foreign Employment Tribunal, and various District Courts. Prominent lawyers from leading law firms and participants from 15 law schools across Nepal were also in attendance.

This year’s Moot Court Competition centered on legal issues involving the misclassification between employees and consultants, wrongful termination, and potential liability for such claims within an Employer of Record (EOR) arrangement, as well as the enforcement of post-termination non-solicitation clauses.

The first day of the event, held at National Law College, featured the preliminary and semi-final rounds. Participating institutions included Far Western University, Kanchanpur; National Law College, Lalitpur; Tulsipur Metro College, Dang; Gandaki University, Pokhara; Prithvi Narayan Campus, Pokhara; Chakrabarti Habi Education Academy, Kathmandu; Kathmandu University School of Law, Dhulikhel; Nepal Law Campus, Kathmandu; Kathmandu School of Law, Bhaktapur; Khwopa Law College, Bhaktapur; Mid-West University, Birendranagar; Bright Vision Law College, Biratnagar; Queens College of Law and Management, Bhanimandal; City Campus Butwal, Lumbini Buddhist University and Kailali Multiple Campus, Dhangadhi.

From among these institutions, Prithvi Narayan Campus, National Law College, Kathmandu School of Law, and Nepal Law Campus advanced to the semi-finals; with Kathmandu School of Law and Nepal Law Campus progressing to the finals.

The second day of the event, hosted at The Plaza in Pulchowk, Lalitpur, featured the final round of the Moot Court Competition between Kathmandu School of Law and Nepal Law Campus. The bench for the finale of the Moot Court comprised of Honorable Attorney General Ramesh Badal, Honorable Chairperson of the Labour Court Janak Pandey, and Tilak Bikram Pandey, Partner at Pioneer Law Associates. Kathmandu School of Law emerged as the winner, with Nepal Law Campus securing the position of runner-up.

Several awards were presented to recognize outstanding performances. The SS Legal Best Team Award, carrying a cash prize of NPR 50,000 and sponsored by SS Legal, was awarded to the winning team of the Moot Court Competition, Kathmandu School of Law. The Neupane Law Associates Best Legal Opinion Award, with a cash prize of NPR 25,000, was also won by Kathmandu School of Law. The Best Oralist Award, sponsored by the BRU Foundation and carrying a cash prize of NPR 25,000, was awarded to Mr. Karma Tshiring Tamang from National Law College for achieving the highest cumulative score in the preliminary rounds. A new award introduced this year, the Reliance Law Firm Commanding Courtroom Presence Award, recognized exceptional persuasiveness and impactful presentation during the semi-finals. Sponsored by Reliance Law Firm and Reliance Corporate Advisors, the award, also carrying a cash prize of NPR 25,000, was presented to Ms. Swikriti Timsina of Nepal Law Campus.

Following the final round, the event featured a panel discussion on the theme “Rationalizing Employment Law for Economic Development.” The discussion explored evolving legal issues including employee misclassification and post-termination restrictive covenants, which had been key elements of the moot problem. The panelists included Honorable Attorney General Ramesh Badal, Senior Advocate Shyam Prasad Kharel, General Manager of QFX Cinemas Tripti Giri, and Kabin Pandey, Head of People and Organization at Daraz Nepal (Alibaba Group). The session began with a brief presentation by Anup Raj Upreti, Managing Partner at Pioneer Law Associates, and was moderated by Tilak Bikram Pandey, Partner at Pioneer Law Associates. The discussion concluded with a lively question-and-answer segment that saw enthusiastic participation from students and legal professionals alike.