MLS Jessup Moot Team reaches Quarter-Finals in Washington DC

ALEX MASCHMEDT
Volume 1, Issue 9 (Originally Published on 30 April 2012)
 
For Melbourne Law School Students Kat Yang, Suzanne Zhou, Ben Murphy, Josh Anderson and Alex Maschmedt, the 1st of April this year marked the culmination of a long and at times arduous journey as members of the University of Melbourne Philip C Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition Team. Now in its 53rd year, the Jessup is the world's largest moot court competition, with participants from over 500 law schools in more than 80 countries.
 
The Melbourne team this year proceeded from the National Rounds in Canberra in January/February, all the way through to the quarter final stage of the International Rounds in Washington DC in March. Along the way the team picked up their fair share of silverware, including Best Respondent and Best Overall Memorials at the National Rounds; and Best Respondent Team, as well as oralist awards for the best (Josh Anderson), 4th best (Alex Maschmedt) and 7th best (Kat Yang) speakers in the International Rounds.
 
The Jessup is much more than just the teams level of success in the competition phase. It is first and foremost a learning experience, with a tremendous amount of legal research and practice in oral and written advocacy taking place over a total period of five (often exhausting) months. The team was also fortunate to meet, moot against, talk to and sometimes party with people from such far flung lands as Nepal, Armenia, Canada, New Zealand, the USA and even Queensland.
 
The efforts of the team were ably supported by our academic coaches Associate Professor Tania Voon and Professor Andrew Mitchell, student coach Timothy Lau, our sponsor Freehills, the Melbourne Law School (particularly Dean Carolyn Evans and the office of the Dean), a great number of academic staff, former mooters, barristers, solicitors and current and former judges and magistrates who judged us in our practice moots, the Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law, The International Law Students Association and the Jessup International Law Moot (Australia) Inc.
 
Alex Maschmedt