Senior lecturer of the Chair of International, European and Environmental Law Yevhen Samoilenko, as well as 2nd year students of the Academic & Research Institute of Law Andrey Bavykin, Karina Prokopenko and Alexey Sokolenko, as invited guests took part in the 23rd Ukrainian Round of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition from 9 to 11 February 2018. The immediate participants of the national (qualifying) round were teams from 10 higher educational institutions.
The Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition, also known as the Jessup, is the oldest and largest international advocacy competition for law students in the world. The competition is a simulation of a dispute between fictitious countries before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). It is named after Philip Caryll Jessup, who once served on the ICJ, and is organized by the International Law Students Association (ILSA).
Teams of law students compete against one another (the “Applicant” and the “Respondent”) through the presentation of written and oral pleadings in English to address timely issues of public international law in the context of a hypothetical legal dispute between nations. This year case was connected with illegal production of nuclear weapons and the emergence of a regional nuclear threat.
The qualifying and semi-final stages of the tournament were held at the Cassation Commercial Court of the Supreme Court of Ukraine. In the final, which was held in the premises of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce & Industry, a team of students of the law faculty of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv won a victory (respondent in the case). This team was stronger in showdown with last year’s winner of the qualifying round – the team of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (Institute of International Relations).
This year Ukrainian Qualifying Round of the Philip was different, involved more people and evolved to a new level. We have seen the results and progress which never happen overnight, but are followed by months of constant research, training and dedication.
The Jessup was founded in 1960, but no winners were declared for the first three editions of the competition. The tournament was only first open to countries outside of the United States in 1968, and outside of North America in 1970. The first international awards were handed out in 1972.
The 2017-2018 season marks the 59th year of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Jessup is international law moot court competition, with participants from nearly 650 law schools from 100 countries. One team is allowed to participate from every eligible school. Teams prepare oral and written pleadings arguing both the applicant and respondent positions of the case.
The Jessup requires fluency in English, contributes to the consolidation of students’ knowledge of international law, gives them the opportunity to gain experience in negotiating and disputing, and also is the key to a successful professional career as a lawyer.
