Oxford Jessup Moot Team wins UK National Championship 2023
The Oxford Jessup Team has emerged as the UK National Champion of the prestigious Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition 2023. The three-day competition was held at the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn from 17th to 19th February, with 18 teams from across the country participating. The Jessup competition is known as the largest moot court competition in the world and simulates a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice. Every eligible university is allowed to field one team, and teams prepare both written and oral pleadings arguing both the applicant and respondent positions of the case.
This year's competition featured the most complex factual issues, involving the interpretation of a peace treaty, the legality of deadly attacks in allegedly occupied territory, the treatment of prisoners in an armed conflict, the legality of unilateral economic sanctions per international law, the obligations of states in the management and export of hazardous plastic waste, as well as admissibility and standing in three of the above issues.
The Oxford Jessup Team is coached by
- Israr Khan (DPhil Candidate, Regents Park College)
- Rouven Diekjobst (MJur, St Cross College)
The Team consists of
- Anna Nagel (Jesus College)
- Antonina Lecka (Merton College)
- Omid Yeganeh ( Lady Margaret Hall)
- Suneeti Sreekumar (Magdalen College)
- Shastikk Kumaran (Mansfield College)
The Team prepared 10,000-word memorials for both the Applicant and Respondent. In the oral rounds, they competed against seven other teams, including Cambridge, King's College, Gray's Inn, LSE, Manchester, and Nottingham. The team excelled in the competition, winning the award for the best-written Memorial, producing three of the top ten oralists in the preliminary rounds (Omid Yeganeh, Suneeti Sreekumar, Antonina Lecka), the best oralist in the final round (Suneeti Sreekumar), and the overall championship.
As the UK National Champion, the team will now represent the country in the international rounds of the competition in Washington DC, which will be held from 8th to 15th April 2023. The competition will feature teams from over 100 countries, and the Oxford Jessup Team will face a new set of challenges as they compete on the international stage. However, their recent success in the UK National Championship has shown that they are well-prepared and well-equipped to take on this next challenge.
The Oxford Jessup Team's win is a remarkable achievement, and we wish them the best of luck as they represent the UK in the international rounds. Their performance is a testament to the talent and dedication of the team and their coaches, as well as the strength of the Oxford University legal community.