Last weekend a team of students from the Law School represented Aberdeen in Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot, the world’s largest and oldest moot court competition. The team, Kiera Bayne, Graeme Campbell, and Ujjaini Halder, competed against 19 other UK teams in written memorial competition and oral submissions. Dr Daria Shapovalova acted as the team’s coach over the preceding months to help with their preparations.
The case involved a dispute being brought before the International Court of Justice concerning issues of Public International Law such as the issue of locus standi, statelessness, consular access, citizenship by investment, and United Nations Security Council’s powers.
In January, the team had to present two written memorials, pleading for both the Applicant and Respondent. The team then travelled to Lincoln’s Inn in London to complete the oral advocacy portion of the competition. They presented 45-minute oral presentations before a bench of judges four times, for both the Applicant and Respondent.
University of Aberdeen placed in the top ten for the Memorial scores, having the 3rd best Applicant Memorial. Both Kiera and Graeme also placed in the top 30 oralists in the preliminary rounds.
This experience was invaluable for our team as they expanded their knowledge in Public International Law and developed both oral and written advocacy skills. This was also a wonderful experience to learn from the accomplished judges, who gave insightful feedback on the performance of the team, and to make connections with the other competitors who are also aspiring lawyers.
The team is grateful for financial support from the Aberdeen Centre for Constitutional and Public International Law.
