The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition is a truly international event. This year, more than 650 teams in 100 countries participated, making it the largest in Jessup’s 60-year history.

Administrated by the International Law Students Association (ILSA), the Jessup attracts more than 3,000 law students each year who must present oral and written arguments on a hypothetical international law case before a simulated International Court of Justice.

“While I was at college, we were inspired by the Indian teams who had entered and been successful in the competition in the past.”
ADITYA SINGH, SINGAPORE-BASED ASSOCIATE

Over the years, the Jessup has made a significant contribution to the development of legal education – something that has benefitted the profession, individuals, and the Firm.

In fact, many people who took part in the competition now work for White & Case, including Singapore-based associate Aditya Singh.

Aditya is a good example of the Jessup’s ability to capture the imagination of law students and enhance the Firm’s visibility and brand awareness.

He says: “While I was at college, we were inspired by the Indian teams who had entered and been successful in the competition in the past.”

Since competing in 2011, Aditya has been involved as a volunteer and judge on many occasions. He especially enjoys helping to build Jessup programs in new countries, such as Myanmar, where he judged and coached this year.

He says: “I got so much out of the competition that it is important to me to give something back. It was the Jessup that encouraged me to focus on international law. I had never heard of White & Case until I competed in the Jessup and it motivated me to learn more. I’ll always feel connected to it.”

“The competition was central to helping me figure out the type of law I wanted to practice and it continues to be a big part of my life even now.”
DIPEN SABHARWAL, LONDON PARTNER

As Aditya mentioned, it was partly the triumph of India’s team of 1999 that inspired him to enter the Jessup – a winning team that included London partner Dipen Sabharwal.

Dipen rates competing in the Jessup as the defining experience of his legal education. He says: “The competition was central to helping me figure out the type of law I wanted to practice and it continues to be a big part of my life even now.”

Dipen has been judging the Jessup since 2003 both in the UK and India and, in 2018, he returned to Washington, D.C. to judge the international rounds.

“The Jessup forms lasting friendships and it’s always great to come across former participants and judges you first met when competing,” he says.

“To be the first Indian team to win was amazing not just for us, but also for the Indian legal community. We were featured in the local press and there was even a brass band at the airport to greet us when we returned home.

“In certain countries such as India, Australia, Russia and Singapore, the Jessup really has an important and evident influence on the legal community.”

“The whole process was incredibly exciting and had a real ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ influence on my career.”
KIRSTEN ODYNSKI, PARIS PARTNER

In Singapore, for example, the Attorney General, Minister of Justice, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the head of a leading local law firm have something in common – they all participated in the Jessup.

The Jessup has brought many lawyers to White & Case, with Paris partner Kirsten Odynski being introduced to the Firm during the competition. She says: “I was a member of one of the Canadian teams in 2007 and it was only by taking part in Jessup that I learned about White & Case and its international arbitration practice.

“The competition also gave me contacts that meant I was able to arrange an interview at our New York office. Prior to that, I hadn’t really considered working outside Canada.

“Then, when I joined the Firm, my Jessup experience helped a great deal because it had significantly improved my written and oral advocacy skills.

“As a competitor and coach I made so many great friends, felt so many emotions and learned so much that I knew I wanted to continue my involvement.”
JUAN PABLO HUGUES, MEXICO CITY ASSOCIATE

“The whole process was incredibly exciting and had a real ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ influence on my career. Indeed, it helped me determine that I wanted to be a litigator (instead of a transactional lawyer) and introduced me to White & Case.”

Mexico City associate Juan Pablo Hugues is another big advocate of the competition.

Juan Pablo was involved as a team member in 2012 and 2013, a coach from 2014 to 2017, and as a judge in 2014, 2018 and 2019.

“My first memories of the competition as a participant was the excitement and fear of addressing a bench in English for the first time, followed by the elation of winning our qualifying rounds in Mexico,” he explains.

“As a competitor and coach I made so many great friends, felt so many emotions and learned so much that I knew I wanted to continue my involvement.”

Juan Pablo credits the competition as being a major influence on his career, improving his skills in legal research, written and oral advocacy, teamwork, strategy and discipline.

He says: “These are skills that ultimately made me a lawyer and have helped me in my career every step of the way. There are very few things I’ve done where my experience in the Jessup hasn’t been pivotal.”

More than 150 of our lawyers and staff support the Jessup — from judging oral rounds and grading memorials to creating the graphics and posters to providing social media and more.

This year’s White & Case International Rounds in Washington, D.C. were as competitive as ever.

In the preliminary rounds, 143 teams faced-off in the roles of applicants and respondents. The top 32 teams then advanced in single elimination knock-out rounds until the top two finalists were left.

Eötvös Loránd University from Hungary defeated Columbia Law School from New York, United States. This was the first time a team from Hungary advanced to the final round.

Global Pro Bono practice leader Jacquelyn MacLennan, who presented the award to the winning team (pictured below) from Budapest says: “The enthusiasm for international law, the talent and the appetite for hard work exhibited by all teams in D.C. is remarkable and inspiring.

“The depth of support from across our network is also incredible. Our involvement in national and regional rounds is determined by the local office in the respective country.

“Supporting 16 of these rounds shows the support for the Jessup across our network is vast.”

Senior manager of Global Citizenship, Elizabeth Black, is a former Executive Director of ILSA and has been involved with the Jessup for the past 20 years.

She adds: “We’re passionate about the Jessup because of its lasting benefits for the legal profession, often in countries where the rule of law is fragile or not well developed, as well as the benefits to White & Case, both in terms of recruiting and the rewards of engagement.”

The number of Jessup teams is growing in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Iran, and Palestine. Among the highlights of this year’s International Rounds was the involvement of teams from Myanmar and Sierra Leone for the first time.

Elizabeth says: “ILSA has a saying about the Jessup that, in the future, world leaders will look at each other differently because they’ll have met here first as friends.

“The Jessup brings down barriers, encouraging teams to celebrate their diversity and national identity while bringing people closer together, sometimes from countries that historically have been taught to hate or be suspicious of each other.

“From a Firm perspective, it also allows us to introduce ourselves and build a relationship with a new generation of the very best legal talent and to help nurture that talent for the future.

“I heard a story about a deadlocked arbitration case in Azerbaijan that was resolved when lawyers on both sides discovered they had both competed in the Jessup. That tiny bit of common ground was the spark that helped them get over the impasse.”