Students will address the legal complexities of arbitration and naval warfare in the world's largest moot court competition
Global law firm White & Case LLP announced that nearly 3,000 students from 100 countries are registered to participate in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. This record-setting number of registrants breaks the previous record set last year.
The 2018 Jessup is set to have 685 teams and marks a number of firsts for the competition since it began 59 years ago. Honduras will compete for the first time, and Panama and Lebanon will host their first qualifying rounds. Additionally, teams from Malta, Macedonia and Qatar will compete for the first time in more than a decade.
"The Jessup continues to break participation records, and for good reason: Students leave the competition more prepared for a career in international law," said White & Case Chairman Hugh Verrier. "The Jessup develops skills that make these students better lawyers by having them act as advocates in a hypothetical case involving complex legal issues and compete against fellow students from around the world."
The competition, administered by the International Law Students Association, requires students to present oral and written arguments on a hypothetical international law case before a simulated International Court of Justice.
This year's hypothetical case addresses such legal issues as the validity of interstate arbitral awards, the capture of a marine vessel, the breach of nuclear disarmament obligations and the conduct of naval warfare.
Teams will be competing in more than 60 national and regional competitions to earn the right to represent their countries in April at the White & Case International Rounds in Washington, DC, where they will vie for the top prize—the Jessup World Cup.
White & Case has been a Global Partner of the Jessup since 2007 and sponsor of the White & Case International Rounds since 2010. This year the Firm is also supporting a total of 15 national competitions, including for the first time competitions in Egypt, India and Mexico. Below are the dates for all White & Case-supported rounds:
- Australia: Feb. 7 – 10
- Belgium: Feb. 24
- Brazil: Feb. 21 – 24
- Egypt: March 3
- France: Feb. 15 – 17
- Georgia: Feb. 3 – 4
- Hong Kong China: Feb. 25
- India: Feb. 8 – 11
- Mexico: March 7 – 9
- Poland: Feb. 26 – 27
- Russia: Jan. 31 – Feb. 4
- South Africa: Feb. 24
- Turkey: Feb. 10 – 11
- United Kingdom: Feb. 23 – 25
- Washington, DC, US Mid-Atlantic Regional: Feb. 8 – 11
- White & Case International Rounds: April 1 – 7
The importance and scope of the Jessup is portrayed in an award-winning, feature-length documentary film, ALL RISE: Journeys to a Just World. The film follows seven law students as they struggle with complex legal and personal issues in their journey through the Jessup season. ALL RISE, which premiered at the United Nations, was selected for film festivals in the United States and the United Kingdom, and has been screened at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the Library of Congress and a number of international law conferences. This year the film was made available for screenings by all participating Jessup teams and administrators worldwide; nearly 60 screenings have been held in 24 countries to date. For more details on the film, including a trailer, please visit www.allrisemovie.com.
White & Case is a leading global law firm with lawyers in 42 offices across 30 countries. Among the first US-based law firms to establish a truly global presence, we provide counsel and representation in virtually every area of law that affects cross-border business. Our clients value both the breadth of our global network and the depth of our US, English and local law capabilities in each of our regions and rely on us for their complex cross-border transactions, as well as their representation in arbitration and litigation proceedings.
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