We made it! Second place in the German National Rounds means that we are going to Wahington D.C. for the international competition!
A team of five Hertie School students beat 18 German law teams, taking second place at the Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court competition in Kiel on 28 February - 4 March. Besides competing in the grand final and taking second place to Munich’s Ludwig-Maximillians-Universität, the team won the award for the best memorials, which is the written stage of the competition, and were ranked number one after winning all 4 preliminary rounds. Leading international law professors and judges from international courts and tribunals were on the jury.
Jessup is the world's largest moot court competition, with participants from over 550 institutions in around 87 countries. It simulates a fictional dispute between countries before the United Nations’ International Court of Justice, in which teams prepare and argue oral and written pleadings.
The topics for the competition were: a rogue state acquiring nuclear weapons, contested action by the United Nations Security Council, the validity of an arbitrational award, and military action by one state against a supply ship of another state with several civilian casualties.
This year’s event in Kiel was hosted by the Walther Schücking Institute for International Law, the oldest academic institution in Germany dedicated especially to international law. In addition to the official competition, the event featured a number of networking events and opportunities to explore Kiel. Thanks to the organizers for a well-run event!