Team Advances to International Competition in Washington, D.C.
AUSTIN, Texas – The University of Texas School of Law will compete in the international rounds of the Phillip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington, D.C., after winning its regional championship and "best brief" award on Feb. 20-22.
The Jessup Competition, which is administered by the International Law Students Association (ILSA), is widely recognized as the largest, most prestigious international law moot court competition in the world.
The UT Law team competed against nine other teams in the Southwest region of the Jessup Competition, held this year at the University of Arizona. By winning these rounds, UT Law represents the region at the Shearman & Sterling International Rounds in Washington, D.C., on March 30-April 5.
UT Law team members are Debbie Bryant, Ben Ellison, Loretta Gieske, Tanya Karim and Shane Mecham. They are coached by UT Law grad Kris Monson, '02, who is a briefing clerk for the Third Court of Appeals in Austin, Texas. Mecham was also awarded honors for being the third best speaker at the regional tournament.
The Southwest region of the Jessup competition included seven teams from Texas-the most teams the state has ever had in the competition. Across the United States, 136 schools competed in 12 different regional competitions this year. Five hundred teams from 90 different countries competed in regional or national rounds this year. Of those 500, 100 teams from more than 70 countries-12 from the United States alone-will compete in the Shearman & Sterling International Rounds.
During the competition, the law students will address whether widespread and systematic rape is 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 problem for this year's competition includes elements of a case that was argued before the International Court of Justice in The Hague in 2002.
UT Law was one of the first schools to participate in the Jessup Competition, which began in 1959, and has competed almost every year. UT has won the Worldwide Championship four times, more than any other U.S. team. Last year, the UT Law team also won the Southwest region competition and advanced to the international rounds.