University

24 Feb 09

Oxford law students have beaten off competition from 19 other teams from universities and Inns of Court from across the country to become the UK champions in an international law moot.

In the UK final on 22 February, the team of five undergraduates won all six of their moots in the White & Case UK Philip C Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Student Richard Hoyle, from Brasenose College, was also declared the country’s best ‘oralist’.

The Jessup Moot is the largest such competition in the world with nearly 600 teams from almost 90 countries vying for the world title. A huge amount of preparation is needed, with written work alone requiring two 12,000-word memorials. The Grand Final between Oxford and University College London was judged by a panel of seven leading international lawyers, chaired by Lord Bingham – the former Senior Law Lord in the House of Lords until 2008.

The winning team consists of Daniel Baker (Harris Manchester), Ailene Chou (University College), Richard Hoyle (Brasenose), Katie Johnston (Corpus Christi) and Lynn Yu (Exeter). They will represent the UK in the World Championship in Washington DC in the Shearman & Sterling International Rounds of the competition later this year.

The Oxford team presented a case concerning a fictional dispute between the
Commonwealth of Ravisia and the Republic of Alicanto. It explored many issues: the legality of the use of force in international law; the admissibility of classified national intelligence; human rights abuses during occupations; and what  constitutes a fair trial, including trials in absentia.
 
Commenting on the team’s success, Richard Hoyle said: ‘It was a fantastic experience as it simulates to a high degree of accuracy the skills required to become a barrister. We have to thank the outstanding contribution from our coaches, Andrew Lodder and Ryan Goss, without whom we which we would never have progressed so far.’

This is the second consecutive year that an Oxford team has won the Rebecca MM Wallace Trophy, which is awarded to UK Champions in the Jessup moot. It will also be the third consecutive year that Oxford will represent the national team in Washington DC in the Shearman and Sterling International Rounds of the competition. They will be joined in Washington by the runners-up in the UK competition, from University College London and the LSE.