12 September 2024
King's successful legacy in moot competitions continues in 2024
The Dickson Poon School of Law’s tradition of international and UK mooting success continued in the 2024 Moot Competition Season.
The collective success of our teams has established King’s legacy as a formidable and competitive presence that is going from strength to strength.
A moot is a mock court proceeding where two opposing teams of advocates argue a fictitious case before a judge or panel of judges. Participants compete to make the best presentation of their respective legal arguments and a moot tests reasoning and debating skills. Points are awarded for skills in analysis, advocacy and research.
The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition
Jessup is the largest and most prestigious moot court competition in the world. Teams compete by presenting oral and written pleadings in the context of a dispute between fictional countries before the International Court of Justice. This year, participants from nearly 700 law schools competed, with the International Rounds held in Washington, DC.
King’s has participated in the competition since 2006, with an impressive reputation of success among UK universities. 2024 was no exception as King’s reached the International Rounds for the ninth consecutive year, one of the best track records in the Jessup Competition globally.
The team also boasted an impressive UK performance as UK Championship Finalists, winning the Best Written Pleadings in the UK and being awarded the Alona E. Evans prize, ranking second worldwide out of nearly 700 submissions. This is the best performance by a team at King’s. The team comprised of Anannya Meghani, Daphne Wong, Paul Bo Jia Zhang, Rishit Harsh and Sydney Kagetsu and was coached by King’s alumni Caleb Kirton, Liam F. Holohan, Saras Sawhney and Daisy Peterson.
International Day of Crisis
The Day of Crisis Moot Competition was founded in 2012. It simulates a major international crisis and challenges teams to deal with the unfolding events over 24 hours. The jury comprised of high-profile authorities in international law, such as ICJ Judge Leonardo Nemer Caldeira Brant, Secretary General of the Hague Academy of International Law Jean-Marc Thouvenin and Dutch Council of State member Nico Schrijver.
King’s team this year, self-named QUEEN (Quick Emergency Evaluation and Negotiation), comprised of Tessa Kolsvari, Charlotte Baxmann, Stanislaw Kopyta, Leow Yeong Tee and Mathies Andreas Beier. Out of a total of five awards given, the team were awarded Best Team, Best Written Advice and came third for Best Negotiation.
They were coached by PhD students Raquel Macedo Moreira and Jiawen Wang and were assisted by Dr Niccolo Ridi and Professor Philippa Webb.
Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot
The Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot is a competition for law students to foster the study and practice of international commercial sales law and arbitration.
The team members were Sean Woon, Jade Widdows, Maksim Banev, Ahmed Hussain, Madhumita Chandrasekkar and Larrissa Leung. They were coached by King’s alumnus Amir Aliyev, Jonathan Bernhardt and Kleoniki Mastorakou and assisted by Dr Soterios Loizou.
They received an Honourable Mention for the Werner Melis Award - Best Memorandum for Respondent.
Jade Widdows received an Honourable Mention for the Martin Domke Award for Best Individual Oralists.
European Law Moot Court
The annual international European Law Moot Court Competition is intended for students interested in EU law. Founded in 1988 and organised by the ELMC Society, it is considered the most prestigious moot court within the field of European Union Law.
King’s students Radu Greece, Maria Raduleacu, Mireia Montane and Charlotte Papaiens de Morchoven formed part of the team who won the Best Written Pleadings award at the 2024 EU Moot Court in Vienna. The team had the best written submissions from over 80 submissions by universities from all over Europe and the US. They were coached by two PhD students, Nina Hart, Miriam Schuler and assisted by Dr Darren Harvey, Senior Lecturer at The Dickson Poon School of Law.
The team received their award in the Court of Justice building in Luxembourg earlier this year in April.