Jessup Moot

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

Moot presentations and competition.

This subject has a quota of 5 students. Applicants are selected through a competitive application process. Please refer to the Melbourne Law JD website for further information.

Not applicable

Only approved applicants can enrol into this subject. Please see above for information on how to apply for this subject, application due dates, etc.

Successful completion of all the below subjects:

Experience in mooting, debating or public speaking and knowledge of international law.

The Melbourne Law School welcomes applications from students with disabilities. It is University and Law School policy to take all reasonable steps to enable the participation of students with disabilities, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the School's programs.

The inherent academic requirements for the study in the Melbourne Law School are:

• The ability to attend classes and actively engage in the analysis of complex materials and debate;
• The ability to read, analyse and comprehend complex written legal materials and complex interdisciplinary materials;
• The ability to clearly and independently communicate in writing a knowledge and application of legal principles and interdisciplinary materials and critically evaluate these;
• The ability to clearly and independently communicate orally a knowledge and application of legal principles and interdisciplinary materials and critically evaluate these;
• The ability to work independently and as a part of a group;
• The ability to present orally and in writing legal analysis to a professional standard.

Students must possess behavioural and social attributes that enable them to participate in a complex learning environment. Students are required to take responsibility for their own participation and learning. They also contribute to the learning of other students in collaborative learning environments, demonstrating interpersonal skills and an understanding of the needs of other students. Assessment may include the outcomes of tasks completed in collaboration with other students.

Students who feel their disability will inhibit them from meeting these inherent academic requirements are encouraged to contact Student Equity and Disability Support.

This subject involves five students competing as a team in the prestigious Philip C Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, which has been running for around half a decade. Each team represents both the applicant and the respondent by preparing written memorials and presenting oral pleadings in a simulated case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Participation involves intensive work from November to February and additional work before and after that period. The problem is generally released in September and memorials are due in January. The national oral round is typically held in Canberra in February and the international finals are held in Washington DC in April. For more information on the competition see www.ilsa.org/jessup/

This subject offers an exceptional opportunity to work closely with a small group of committed students and staff members, develop your research and oral and written communication skills, improve your understanding of various substantive areas of public international law, and meet a wide range of inspiring people within and outside Melbourne Law School who are working in international law or as professional advocates. Successful participation will provide a sophisticated understanding of dispute settlement in the ICJ and the key substantive issues raised by the problem.

• Two written memorials prepared cooperatively by students working together as members of a team (70%);
• Mooting presentations as a team in practice rounds, and Exhibition Moot in Melbourne, and competitive rounds in Canberra and Washington DC (30%).

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On completion of the subject, students should have developed the following generic skills:

• Attitudes towards knowledge that include valuing truth, openness to new ideas and ethics associated with knowledge creation and usage;
• The capacity for close reading and analysis of a range of sources;
• The capacity for critical and independent thought and reflection;
• The capacity to solve problems, including through the collection and evaluation of information;
• The capacity to communicate, both orally and in writing;
• The capacity to plan and manage time;
• Intercultural sensitivity and understanding.