International Moot Court 2020

Welcome on 5th International Moot Court!

Dear International Moot Court Participants,
It is an honor and a privilege to welcome you to the 5th International Moot Court. Having the International Moot Court for the first time in Gdynia, Poland will offer us all a rich and rewarding experience.

During the week, students will demonstrate their oral advocacy skills and gain a deep understanding of the ICC laws. Students will participate in multiple-elimination rounds at various law schools, with two international teams emerging as finalists. We hope that you will also gain new insights of your competitors and learn about their city/countries and their customs. Your experience will be life-changing, as you meet new people and learn about Poland.

We are delighted that the European Solidarity Center and Lech Walesa will be the sponsor of our final round. We are especially grateful to Anna Ćwiklińska-Rutka, Coordinator, Poland Moot court for serving as our lead partner for the 5th International Moot Court. We are very excited to have so many teams participate from around the world.

Good Luck and I look forward to seeing you in Gdynia in January 2020.

Debra Lesser

Executive Director Justice Resource Center New York City
International Moot Court

The Case

This Moot Court exercise will introduce you to the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC). It concerns an entirely fictional country called Tabanath. It also concerns people and places which have been invented for the purpose of this exercise. In the fictional facts that you are given, Tabanath has been the scene of conflict over the past decade.

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Teams

What is Moot Court?

Moot courts have been around since the late 1700s. They’re a law school activity and competition during which students participate in preparing and arguing cases in front of judges. The case and sides are selected beforehand, and students are given a set amount of time to prepare for the eventual trial.

This particular exercise is intended to introduce you to the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The judges, the defence lawyers and the prosecution lawyers will each need to choose one of themselves as their leader.

The leader of the judges is the Presiding Judge. He has control of the court, and takes the main speaking role for the judges.

The leader of the prosecution lawyers is the Prosecutor. The leader of the defence lawyers is Lead Counsel for the Defence. These two leaders must be in charge of their teams, must answer questions from the judges when they are asked and must decide which lawyers on their teams will present each argument or question each witness.

The prosecution and defence teams each work together to prepare the arguments for the hearing. It is best to have only one member of each team speaking at each stage; whether it is questioning of the witness or presenting an argument. The other members of the team help prepare the arguments before the hearing, as well as following the argument and making suggestions to answer questions in the hearing.