UCL Laws team win UK National Rounds of the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition

On 16-18 February, a team of UCL Laws students advanced through the preliminary and knock-out rounds of the UK National Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition to claim victory as the UK national champions, with the final taking place on Sunday in the Old Hall of Lincoln's Inn. The team - represented by Lawrence Alford (LLM), Gabriel de Chaisemartin (LLB), Joshua Gan (LLB), Michelle Teh (LLB) and Danian Wan (LLM) - competed against other law schools from across the country, presenting oral and written pleadings to simulate a public international law dispute between nations before the International Court of Justice. 

The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition is the world's largest moot court competition, with participants representing around 700 law schools from 100 countries and jurisdictions. The UCL Laws Jessup team’s victory in the UK national rounds is a true testament to their dedication, exceptional teamwork and expertise in international law. The team will now set their sights on the international finals in Washington DC this April, where they will compete against some of the best teams from national competitions around the world.

Special thanks goes to alumna Draga Petrovic (LLM International Law 2023), and Josefina Del Rosario Lago (LLM International Law 2024), who coached the team; PhD candidates Céline Chausse and Gal Cohen, who led seminars in our new undergraduate module, International Mooting; and Dr Megan Donaldson, Professor Alex Mills and Professor Kimberley Trapp for their invaluable support and feedback.

Professor Eloise Scotford said: "We are immensely proud of the Jessup team for representing UCL Laws and their exceptional performance in winning the national rounds of the Jessup Moot Competition.  Their hard-fought victory demonstrates the calibre of our legal education in public international law and the Faculty’s commitment to academic excellence, collaborative working and experiential learning. Huge thanks also to the tireless work of the brilliant coaches, seminar leaders, and academic leads. We look forward to supporting them all as they prepare for the international rounds, and we wish them the very best for April!"

Many congratulations to the UCL Laws team on their much-deserved victory!