Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition

Ø  Competition Information

·            What is Jessup?

Introduced in 1960, the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition (Jessup) is the world's largest and most prestigious moot court competition, with participants from over 550 law schools in more than 80 countries. This competition is named after the revered ICJ judge Philip C. Jessup, in commemoration of his outstanding contributions to the international community. Given its profound influence, Jessup is now known as the "Olympic Game" in International Law.

For more information, please visit: http://www.ilsa.org/jessuphome

·            Competition Format

Jessup is a simulation of a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the judicial organ of the United Nations. Every year, a Jessup problem (the case) will be produced by international law experts, which addresses the factual and legal consequences of a wide spectrum of legal issues ranging from statehood, sovereignty to international economic cooperation. Participating teams have to prepare oral and written pleadings arguing both the applicant and respondent positions of the case.

Generally, only one team is allowed to participate from every eligible school. Each team can be composed of up to five members, with four oralists and one off-council. Teams have to compete within their respective national/regional rounds to earn the right to advance to the White & Case International Rounds held every spring in Washington, D.C..

Ø  PKU Law School and Jessup

·            Jessup in China

PKU Law School has a proud tie with Jessup even before its official introduction into China. In 1989, PKU Jessupers represented China in making its debut in this competition and successfully advanced into the semi-final round (Top 8) in the international competition held in Chicago. Thereafter, for certain reasons, Chinese teams once ceased participating during the 1990s before this game was officially brought back to China by Professor ZHU Wenqi, an international law professor at the Law School of Renmin University of China.

Thanks to Professor Zhu's efforts, Jessup is progressively gaining popularity across China since its return. Till 2012, the year marking Jessup China's 10th anniversary, Jessup has become one of the most recognized moot games in China, attracting hundreds of law students from over 40 universities each year. A law school's performance in Jessup is also generally believed to be reflecting its achievements in international law education, as well as its students' overall English capacity and legal skills.

·            Our Achievements

PKU Jessup team has twice claimed the champion of this competition in the national round of China, in 2006 and 2012 respectively. We have also maintained outstanding performances in the international round.

In 2012, PKU Jessup team refreshed its records in the international contests with four consecutive victories against all of its opposing teams and eventually placed 14th out of 149 participating teams from 82 countries. Four of the participants in that year, FENG Jun '12 LL.B, YING Zongguo '13 LL.M, CHEN Xiongchao '12 LL.M and XIA Ying '12 LL.M were awarded the "World Top 100 Oralists". This is the first time in China's history with Jessup that four members from the same team receive this top honor, making it a new record in the number of Chinese "World Top 100 Oralists" in a single year.

Ø  Application and Selection Procedure

Each year, PKU Jessup Team holds a try out open to all PKU law students to select qualified participants and assistants under the supervision of Law School's Youth League Committee and with the assistance of the Mooting Camp. The selection procedure may include CV/Resume screening, interview and written test. Detailed information about the application will be released in due course prior to the commencement of every year's fall semester.

Once selected, new Jessupers will receive a series of professional trainings from our coaches on a wide range of subjects that aim to enhance their skills relating to legal research, memorandum drafting and oral pleading. During the semester-long preparation, our Jessupers may also receive specialized trainings provided by prestigious international law firms from time to time.

Jessup国际法模拟法庭比赛
一、比赛简介
　　Phillip C. Jessup 国际法模拟法庭竞赛是世界上最大规模的模拟法庭竞赛，每年有来自80多个国家的500多所法学院参赛，被当之无愧地誉为“国际法奥林匹克”。 比赛由International Law Student Association （ILSA）主办，多家国际著名律师事务所赞助，以英文为工作语言。 根据以往惯例，组委会在每年的9月末或10月初公布赛题，赛题一般事实复杂且体现国际法的热点、难点法律问题。 各参赛队在1月中旬以前提交正反方两份书状（memo），中国赛区一般会在春节前或后进行中国赛区口头答辩比赛（oral），前五名（根据参赛队伍数量按比例决定）取得代表中国参加在美国华盛顿特区举行的国际赛资格。 有兴趣的同学可以访问ILSA网站http://www.ilsa.org/jessup/index.php。

二、 Jessup 将带给你什么？
　　Jessup 是系统锻炼你的法律分析、检索、阅读、写作、辩论（advocacy）等综合能力的良机；是展现你的学识、修养、魅力的舞台 。你将在为比赛而奋斗的过程中收获也许是你大学期间最宝贵、最牢固的友谊。 你在讲台前接受法官最严厉的追问，在赛场内外结识一些有趣的人。 当然，你在赛场上的表现，也将受到国内外顶尖律师事务所的关注。


Jessup 和 Vis 有什么区别呢？
　　首先，比赛涉及的法律不同，这点比较明显。 一般来说，Jessup涉及的法律问题更多一些。 其次，Jessup比赛的书状占的比重很大，因此需要花费大量的时间撰写书状；Vis花在口头的精力比重更大。 再次，Jessup是模拟法庭，Vis是模拟仲裁，在口头比赛时，这两者的区别也比较明显。 最后，整体上，Jessup备赛花费的时间更多一些。 希望这些信息可以帮助同学们选择喜欢、合适的比赛。