Moot Court: Jessup International Law Competition

School Competition

During the fall semester, students research a "close" but significant question of international law and then prepare a memorial (brief) for either the applicant or respondent for submission to the International Court of Justice. During the spring semester, after intramural competition, a 5-member team is selected and trained to participate in the Northwest Regional Rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition held in mid-March each year. The team which wins the Northwest Regional Rounds earns the opportunity to participate in the National Competition in Washington, D.C. Open to all second, third, and fourth-year students, subject to the instructor's approval.

The American Bar Association accreditation standards require students to regularly attend the courses in which they are registered. Lewis & Clark expects students to attend classes regularly and to prepare for classes conscientiously. Specific attendance requirements may vary from course to course. Any attendance guidelines for a given class must be provided to students in a syllabus or other written document at the start of the semester. Sanctions (e.g., required withdrawal from the course, grade adjustment, and/or a failing grade) will be imposed for poor attendance.

Regional Competition

The Jessup Competition is held in the Spring term of every year and is an appellate style competition. Topics are chosen from among a variety of public international law issues including human rights, environmental, trade, diplomacy and the law of war. All participating schools use the same topic. Students work as a team on a brief which generally requires that the bulk of the writing occur during winter break, and after completion of the brief, students participate in oral advocacy practice rounds approximately three times per week until the regional competition in mid-February. The course gives students an opportunity to develop advanced appellate advocacy and writing skills and study in depth a specific area of international law in a problem oriented setting.

Prerequisite for selection to the Regional team is participation in the previous Fall term Jessup Competition and recommendation from that coach. At the discretion of the coaches, 4-5 students are selected for the regional team.

Skills†: oral argument, memorial writing
†Students may not earn more than four (4) credit hours in any one skill area