English-language moot courts
ELSA Moot Court Competition on WTO Law
Subject-area: WTO law
Language: English
Admission criteria: The ELSA-WTO moot court is open to students at Bachelor’s and Master’s level with knowledge of and interest in the law of the World Trade Organization. Language proficiency in English, both written and oral, is required.
Procedure: Student teams of two to four members submit a written memorial on behalf of two parties to a fictitious international trade dispute. In a regional round with oral pleading sessions, the best teams are then selected to advance to the international finals in Geneva.
History: Maastricht won the international written round in 2004, finished third in the oral finals in 2005 and sixth in 2007. Maastricht students were awarded individual distinctions in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
Admission: Information meeting in September, selection in November
Coordination: P. Van den Bossche, I. Alexovicova
Credits: 12 ECTS
Website: www.elsamootcourt.org
Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court
Subject-area: Public international law
Language: English
Admission criteria: The Jessup moot court is open to students at Bachelor’s and Master’s level with knowledge of and interest in international law. Language proficiency in English, both written and oral, is required.
Procedure: Student teams defend their case on behalf of two parties in a fictitious international dispute during a national round in the Peace Palace in The Hague. The winners from the national rounds advance to the international final round in Washington.
History: Maastricht won the national finals in 1992, 1997 and 2005, and came in third in 2007. The 2005 team finished as the best Dutch team ever. Maastricht students were furthermore awarded several individual distinctions.
Admission: Selection in September/October
Coordination: M. Kamminga
Credits: 12 ECTS
Website: www.ilsa.org/jessup
Willem C. Vis Moot Court Competition
Subject-area: International business law
Language: English
Admission criteria: The Willem Vis moot court is open to students at Bachelor’s and Master’s level with knowledge of and interest in international commercial law, in particular international sales of goods contracts and arbitration. Language proficiency in English, both written and oral, is required.
Procedure: Student teams submit written memorials in a fictitious international commercial dispute before an arbitration panel. They go on to defend their case in oral pleading sessions that are held in Vienna.
Admission: Selection in September/October
Coordination: A. Kamperman Sanders, N. Kornet
Credits: 12 ECTS
Website: www.cisg.law.pace.edu/vis.html
European and International Tax Moot Court Competition
Subject-area: European and international tax law
Language: English
Admission criteria: The European and International Tax moot court is open to students following any track within the Tax Law Master’s programmes, with knowledge of and interest in European and international tax law. Language proficiency in English, both written and oral, is required.
Procedure: Student teams of four to five members submit written memorials in a fictitious tax law dispute. They go on to defend their case in oral pleading sessions that are held in Leuven.
History: Maastricht finished third in 2007 and won three additional awards (best individual counsellor, best team for the applicant and best overall team). In 2008 Maastricht came in third and won the best oral pleading award.
Admission: Selection in September/October
Coordination: R. Luja, C. Ní Ghiollarnáth
Credits: 6 ECTS
International Client Counseling Competition
The ICCC is not a moot court in the traditional sense, but an exercise focusing on the skills that are essential to effective lawyer-client communication. Students play the role of lawyers interacting with a client who is played by a professional actor. Essential skills are not limited to asking the right questions and legal analysis, but also include planning of possible solutions and psychologic insight in and professional reflection on the client's needs and motives.
Subject-area: Each year another area of law is chosen.
Language: English.
Admission criteria: The ICCC is open to all law students. Language proficiency in English is required.
Procedure: Student teams pass a national competition and may be eligible to proceed to the international finals.
History: Maastricht is the first Dutch University to participate in the ICCC as of 2008.
Admission: Selection in autumn
Coordination: F. Fernhout
Jean Pictet Competition and Frits Kalshoven Competition on International Humanitarian Law
Discipline: International humanitarian law
Language: English
Admission requirements: The Faculty will recruit a team of 3 students to represent it in the Frits Kalshoven Competition and in the English-speaking sessions of the Jean Pictet Competition. Students must have a good knowledge of public international law, have a keen interest in – and preferably also knowledge of – international humanitarian law, and have an excellent command of English. Participation in the competitions is only open to master’s students.
Procedure: Both competitions are not just standard Moot Courts. During intensive days participants deal with both theory and practice of IHL. The competition deals with a fictitious, but realistic scenario of armed conflict. In various sessions the teams are required to apply the rules of IHL. Participants are encouraged to consider the same situation of armed conflict from a variety of perspectives through different role-playing exercises.
History: In the Jean Pictet Competition Christopher Fretwell won the prize for Best Oralist in 2001 and in 2009 the UM team reached the finals. In 2011 Swantje Pabst was awarded Best Oralist in the Frits Kalshoven Competition.
Admission: Selection in October
Coordination: R. Jorritsma
Credits: 6 ECTS
Website: www.concourspictet.org and www.rodekruis.nl/ihlcompetition
