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Prestigious moot court competition held at Fletcher |
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The Fletcher School hosted the Atlantic Regional Round of the
2002-2003 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court
Competition March 1st and 2nd, 2003. It was the first time
Fletcher has hosted this prestigious competition, sponsored by the
International Law Students Association (ILSA), since 1991. This
year’s competition drew 12 law schools from New York and the
mid-Atlantic region. “Fletcher is one of only two non-law schools that take part in this competition,” said Assistant Professor of International Law at Fletcher, Ian Johnstone. “This is a reflection of the seriousness with which international law is taken by students and faculty in a School dedicated to the study of global affairs.” The Jessup Moot Court competition was established in 1959 and named after Philip C. Jessup, former justice at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Each year, around 400 schools from around 75 countries participate, making it the largest competition of its kind in the world. Over the past forty years, over 700 schools from more than 90 nations have taken part. The competition is held annually. Regional and National Competitions occur worldwide from December until March. The International and World Championship Rounds are held in the spring, usually in Washington, DC. It provides an important opportunity for law students to argue important and timely issues of international law. Each year’s competition involves a different hypothetical case written by leading international law scholars. This year’s case dealt with issues concerning the aftermath of a brutal civil war. Students debated whether widespread and systematic rape would be considered a war crime, whether sexual slavery and corruption are unlawful under international law, and the obligations and rights of states to prosecute those responsible for such acts. The competition was judged by a series of three-judge panels who simulated the practice of law before the International Court of Justice. This distinguished group was comprised of judges, attorneys, law professors, and public servants. Because Fletcher was this year’s host, the Fletcher moot court team participated in the South Central region against 11 other teams. Fletcher’s team of Marti Flacks, Brett Freedman, Jan Hessbruegge, Katrina Kopa and Lusine Galajyan received fourth place in the written portion of the competition. “This is no small achievement, considering that all other teams in the competition were law students, who spend the better part of three years learning to write and think like lawyers,” said Professor Johnstone in congratulating the team. The Atlantic Regional Round at Fletcher was organized by dedicated Fletcher students, with the help of equally dedicated faculty and staff, who spent much of their free time over the last few months coordinating the events. Many served as bailiffs in the courtrooms and scorekeepers. “This event would never have happened without the tireless assistance of many people,” said Adrineh Gregorian, Jessup’s Regional Administrator and Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) 2004 candidate. “We are grateful for all the volunteers, including many undergrads, who devoted their entire weekend to this event,” Ms Gregorian added. MALD 2004 candidate Tamas Kovacs organized the judges’ roster, using his own personal contacts, the members’ list of the American Society of International Law, judges referred to him by the ILSA and by Fletcher professors Ellen Lutz and Ian Johnstone. The rounds took place over the weekend and consisted of a preliminary round on Saturday and a semi-final and final round on Sunday. At the preliminary round awards ceremony, Ambassador Gábor Horváth, Consul General of Hungary in New York, addressed the participants. “It is the first time I have had the honor of being invited to judge the moot court competition,” said Ambassador Horváth, who is widely respected for his work on U.S.-European relations and NATO enlargement. “It is a tremendous pleasure.” Ambassador Horváth said he believed the Jessup forum could have an indirect impact on the development of progress towards the codification of international law. He said the Jessup competition was not only an academic exercise, but was shaping players in international law. He also said it was appropriate that aspects of international law were dealt with in such depth at a time when issues of crucial international importance were being discussed, such as Iraq, the enforcement of sanctions and the enforcement of UN resolutions. The Ambassador found many elements of the Jessup case closely related to the 10 years of permanent war in the Balkans and said it was an issue close to him given the close proximity to Hungary. “The war in the Balkans is over, but the codification of international law has a long way to go, especially in terms of courts, punishment and providing damages,” the Ambassador said. He was heartened that students submerged themselves into a topic of such gravity and complex human suffering. “Based on the two preliminary rounds, I was impressed by the quality of preparation into elaboration as well as the sensitive awareness of human suffering,” Ambassador Horváth said. “Your eloquence carried the message you have been doing a very fine job in understanding the gravity of the situation. I congratulate you,” he told the students. Ambassador Horváth also congratulated Fletcher’s organizing committee and described the event as an “uncontested success”. The final took place on Sunday between Columbia Law School and New York University School of Law and was argued in front of a distinguished panel of judges – Honorable Judge Geral Gillerman (Retired) Massachusetts Appeals Court; Professor Detlev Vagts, Professor of International Law, Harvard Law School; and Mr. Gabor Garai, Managing Partner of the Boston Office of Epstein, Becker & Green P.C., and Honorary Consul of the Republic of Hungary in Boston. In the closely fought final, the Columbia team was granted victory. The judges said they were impressed by both teams’ arguments. “It is clear all of you will have a great career in front of you,” said Honorable Judge Geral Gillerman in his comments to the participants. “[The judges] were excellent so it was a lot of fun,” said one of the winning team orators Kathy Wilhelm, who is in her second year at Columbia and participated in the competition last year. “The judges had the perfect medium of asking sharp question, but not so many we couldn’t get through our arguments,” Ms Wilhelm added. Teammate and orator Erika Evasdottir said the judges’ interruptions were welcome, rather than an impediment as they enabled her to highlight points and confirm that the judges were following her arguments. Columbia’s winning team will now compete in the 2003 Shearman & Sterling International Rounds which will be held in Washington, DC from March 30 to April 5, 2003. |
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2002 The Fletcher School, Tufts
University |
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