CUHK
News Centre

A team of law students from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) are heading to Washington DC for the world championship rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. CUHK won the right to represent Hong Kong after winning the regional qualifier against teams from The University of Hong Kong and City University of Hong Kong. 

Mooting involves law students making arguments on a legal problem in a courtroom simulation. Entering its 53^rd year, the Jessup moot concerns current problems in international law – this year’s problem addresses the right of a people to democracy and the importance of cultural heritage. It requires students to address head on developments in international law after the Arab Springs and recent Syrian uprising. 

Over 550 teams from around the world participate in the annual competition, with 100 advancing to the world championship in Washington DC. Students work year-round on the problem, writing two 12,000 word legal briefs for both sides to the dispute and then presenting their oral arguments before a distinguished panel of judges. 

The CUHK team comprised Eva Chan (JD), Justin Ho (PCLL), Hayden Lau (PCLL), Janet Tang (PCLL) and Vinca Yau (LLB). The team swept the board winning four prizes in this year’s regional qualifier, which included White & Case Jessup Cup Champions, Prize for Best Applicant Memorial, Prize for Best Respondent Memorial and the Prize for Best Oralist. 

Prof. Christopher Gane, Dean of Law, is delighted with the results, ‘The outstanding success of our Jessup Mooting Team brings great credit to the Faculty of Law, the University and, of course, to the students themselves. Winning the Regional Final is a great achievement, especially since the team have managed to do this while still keeping up with all the other demands of their legal studies. I am sure that all of the University community will wish them well for the Finals in Washington.’ 

This is the third time in four years that CUHK will represent Hong Kong at the world championship. It is also the second time that Vinca Yau will be pitting her legal advocacy skills at the highest level. The last time she represented CUHK in 2010 the team won the Hardy C Dillard Award for Best Memorial – the best written legal argument at the world competition. 

The team will now travel to Washington DC for the world finals of the moot, where they will compete against championship teams from other regions, on 25-31 March.