Santa Clara University International Law Moot Court
The Santa Clara Law International Moot Court team took first place at the 2009 Pace University School of Law International Criminal Court Moot Competition, and advanced to the international competition at The Hague. Read more here...
Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court
The Jessup Moot Court competition is widely recognized as the largest and most prestigious international law moot court competition in the world. Law students from all over the globe compete, striving to take home the Worldwide Championship.
This International Law Moot Court competition has been organized annually by the International Law Students Association (ILSA) with the support of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) since 1959.
ILSA releases the Jessup competition problem each September. The Jessup problem is based on a fictitious pair of countries who have brought their international legal dispute to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. This is an open research competition which allows for about four months of preparation. Schools are organized into 11-12 regions, each consisting of 12-14 schools. The winning team from each region advances to the international rounds in Washington, D.C, where U.S. law schools compete against students from all over the world.
The winning team from the international round receives the World Championship Trophy. In addition to the team recognition, individual awards are given for best oralist and best memorials.
The international competition takes place in early March alongside ASIL's annual meeting. Competing teams come from the world over, with particularly fierce competition originating from Australia, Singapore, South Africa, Argentina and Spain.
Traditionally, Santa Clara University's International Law Moot Court Board selects a "regional team" in early September after an individual audition/try out before a panel of three judges. The team consists of two, two-person teams and one brief writer.
Concours Jean-Pictet
The Pictet competition is an international competition of negotiation for peaceful settlement of disputes. Law students from all over the globe compete, in both French and English. The competition is organized annually by the International Committee of the Red Cross, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, French Red Cross, Conseil general du Gard, among others.
There are separate competitions held for Francophone and Anglophone teams. The finals bring together the best of both competitions. The first competitions are held in different countries each year during the Spring. The final competition is located in France and is held in July.
Team members submit an application for the competition in late November. The application consists of three international law questions as well as curriculum vitae of the members. The committee selects teams in January. Shortly thereafter, an initial situation is presented. Teams prepare for the competition by becoming familiar with several international treaties and treatises-most notably the Geneva Conventions. The competition begins with a disastrous situation, such as a terrorist attack. Teams are assigned roles to play, such as a government, an ally or an NGO. Each day, the situation progresses and roles may be reassigned. Teams are judged on their ability to negotiate the situation based upon international humanitarian law and methods.
The winning team from the final round receives the World Championship Trophy. In addition to the team recognition, individual awards are given.
In 2008-9, John List, Vivian Tan and Ann Marie Ursini represented Santa Clara Law. Here is an account of their experiences.
Gray’s Inn
In England, the four Inns of Court, of which Gray’s Inn is one, have the exclusive right to call men and women to the Bar – i.e., to admit those who have fulfilled the necessary qualifications to the degree of Barrister-at-Law, which entitles them, after a period of pupilage (vocational training) either to practice as independent advocates in the Courts of England and Wales or to take employment in government or local government service, industry, commerce, or finance. Thus, to qualify as a barrister, everyone must join an Inn.
The government of each Inn is ultimately controlled by the Masters of the Bench, elected mainly from among its members who are also senior members of the judiciary or Queen's Counsel. In the case of Gray's Inn there are about 200 Benchers.
During the summer session in Oxford, Gray’s Inn, London, hosts a moot court in which two SCU students, usually the winners of the Panelli Moot Court Competition, argue against two Gray's Inn students or young barristers. The moot is presided over by a panel of English judges, and an opinion resolving the mooted issues is delivered from the bench. The moot is followed by dinner in the Gray's Inn Hall with the moot team, the judges, young barristers training at the Inn, and the students in our Oxford summer program.
This past summer, Carlos Mino and Micael Estremera from Santa Clara University had the opportunity to argue.