The Australian National University (ANU) has won the White & Case sponsored Jessup International Moot Court competition held at Washington.

The prestigious Jessup Moot Court competition is in its 51^st year and the competition is a simulation of a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice. This year 127 teams from 76 countries participated for the final rounds of the competition held in Washington.

The ANU team comprised of Ellen Chapple, Rohan Kapur, Sarah Lynch, Sneha Rangnath and Sam Thorpe. The ANU team was coached by Senior Lecturer, Wayne Morgan, and was supported in Washington by Faculty Adviser Jon Lovell. The winning team had an Indian flavour with members of Indian origin, Rohan Kapur and Senha Rangnath representing ANU.

“The Jessup mooting competition has been an invaluable experience,” said team member Sarah Lynch. “We have all learnt important skills which will put us in good stead for any career path we choose. The competition has honed our teamwork and research skills, as well as our advocacy and competition skills.”

ANU beat New York’s Columbia Law School in the finals. Kevin Lin from the Columbia Law School won the Stephen M. Schwebel Prize for Best Oralist. Judge Schwebel, who served as the President of the International Court of Justice from 1997 until 2000, presided over the final round. Judge Dame Rosalyn Higgins, another former ICJ president, and Harold Koh, who is currently serving as the advisor to the State Department were the other Judges for the final rounds.

This year, the NALSAR team reached the semi-finals where they lost to the eventual winners, ANU.The NALSAR team consisted of speakers Shatadru Chakraborty and Dhananjaya Mishra along with researchers Brajendu Bhaskar and Ashish Parekh. This is the second time NALSAR is reaching the semi finals; earlier the NALSAR team had reached the semi finals in 2006.

Over the last decade, the Indian Law Schools have had a good run at the Jessup Moot Court competition. Statistics reveal that Indian Law Schools have reached the semi-finals thrice and have even won the competition. The National Law School of India University (NLSIU) won the Jessup Moot Court competition in 1999. The NLSIU team comprised of Dipin Sabharwal, Sapna Khajuria and Priya Pillai who beat South Africa’s University of Pretoria. National University of Singapore, however, continues to be the enviable team with 4 Jessup wins and 7 Runner-up trophies.

Picture Courtesy: Australian National University College of Law