Santa Clara University Law School students took part in four International Law competitions this spring: the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court, the Niagara Cup International Law Moot Court, the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court, and the Concours Jean-Pictet competitions. Student participants were selected in early September through individual auditions before a panel of three judges. “These international law competitions enable students to experience international law making and international law reasoning first hand in the context of a transnational dispute,” explains Beth Van Schaack, faculty advisor and coach. Professor Van Schaack introduced a new course in the fall entitled “International Law Practicum” to help prepare students for the competition. Many members of the faculty assisted as moot judges and advisors.
Santa Clara University students Alana Fremgen, Robert Stamps, and John Van Geffen competed in the Lachs Space Law Moot Court competition for the first time in 2005 coming away with the award for Best Brief and taking third place overall. The Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition began in 1992 and is organized annually by the International Institute of Space Law (IISL). The judges for the competition are all high caliber experts in space law, including Ed Frankle, NASA General Counsel for over 10 years; John Gantt, former General Counsel of Comsat World Systems; and Mike Schlabs, of the NASA International Law Division.
Santa Clara University also competed for the first time in the Niagara Cup this year. While Canada-U.S. relations are generally quite amicable, the policies of one country may be at odds with those of the other. The Niagara International Moot Court Competition exposes law students to these conflicts by holding a three-day moot court competition on an issue actually in dispute between the two countries. Santa Clara’s Niagara team consisted of Samantha Cho, Niti Gupta, Kavya Mohankumar, Naresh Rajan, and Akshay Verma. Team member Kavya Mohankumar received the award for Third Best Oralist.
The Jessup Moot Court competition is widely recognized as the largest and most prestigious international law moot court competition in the world. Law students from all over the globe compete, striving to attend the Worldwide Championship. This competition has been organized annually by the International Law Students Association (ILSA) with the support of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) since 1959. The Jessup problem is based on a fictitious pair of countries who have brought their international legal dispute before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. “The Jessup competition presents an exciting opportunity to use public international law in a ‘real world’ setting while at the same time developing written and oral advocacy skills,” remarked Anthony Basile, a member of this year’s team. Santa Clara’s Jessup team members are Anthony Basile, Cyndi Claxton, Thomas Howe, Allison Surowitz, and Timothy Wagstaffe. They competed in the Northwest Regional at Seattle University School of Law and came in tenth in the regional competition.
The Pictet International Humanitarian Law competition is an international negotiation competition seeking the peaceful settlement of a dispute within the context of the United Nations framework. Law students from all over the globe compete, in both French and English, taking on various roles such as a government minister, a prisoner of war, an NGO worker, and a UN representative. This competition is organized annually by the International Committee of the Red Cross, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, among others and is usually held in Europe. There are separate competitions held for Francophone and Anglophone teams, and the finals bring together the best of both competitions. Mia Anne Giacomazzi, Eric Ortner and Alexander Weddle represented Santa Clara. They competed completely in French – the only United States team to do so and one of only three teams from non-francophone countries. “Pictet provides excellent practical experience with international humanitarian law from a legal and policy standpoint,” noted team member Eric Ortner. “It is also a wonderful opportunity to interact with students from various legal and cultural backgrounds.”
