2013 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition: U of A Law takes home team prize for 4th Place Written Memorials as well as team prize for Most Improved Team
U of A Jessup Moot team (l-r): Professor Cameron Jefferies (coach), Gareth Reeves (3L), Tatum Woywitka (3L), Matthew Storey (3L), and Garth Paulson (3L)
The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition is one of the most prestigious moot competitions in the world. Created in 1959 by the International Law Students Association ("ILSA"), it is the world's largest moot competition, typically involving more than 1500 students from more than 300 law schools from almost 50 countries.
The White & Case Canadian National Division Qualifying Tournament of the 2013 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition took place in Kingston, Ontario, from March 6-9. The University of Alberta law team, which comprised of Garth Paulson (3L), Gareth Reeves (3L), Matthew Storey (3L), and Tatum Woywitka (3L), were exemplary representatives for the law school and ended up taking home the team prize for 4th Place Written Memorials as well as the team prize for Most Improved Team.
Fourteen Canadian schools competed in this qualifying round, which addressed a variety of international legal dilemmas surrounding the submergence of an island nation as a result of climate change. There is very little law surrounding these issues and each team was required to creatively apply first principles to craft persuasive written and oral arguments. The competition was strong but the U of A law team was well-prepared and up to the task!
"I am extremely pleased with how well each team member responded to very difficult questions from the panels and also with the excellent quality of their written submissions," commented team coach, Professor Cameron Jefferies. "I would like to thank the team for their unwavering commitment to the competition as I can attest to the time and effort associated with the Jessup. I would also like to thank Professor Harrington for her guidance and support."
The Jessup Moot team, and coach, would also like to thank the following individuals who graciously volunteered their time as a practice round judge: Joanna Harrington, Cam Hutchison, Linda Reif, and Stella Varvis from the Faculty of Law; practitioners Megan Seville, Jen Fiorini, Ron Goltz, and Chris Samuel; and U of A law students Jenilee Guebert, Laura Lefebvre, and Karen Wong.
In addition the team and coach would like to thank U of A support staff, Sandra Teves, Renee Hunt, Kim Cordeiro, Mary Ann Empson, and Merle Metke for their support and assistance.
U of A Jessup Moot team (l-r): Garth Paulson (3L), Matthew Storey (3L), Tatum Woywitka (3L), and Gareth Reeves (3L)
Click here to read the interviews with the Jessup International Law Moot team