School of Law

Founded over 60 years ago, the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition is the leading international law mooting competition in the world and is the largest international advocacy competition for law students of its kind, with roughly 800 teams participating from over 100 countries and jurisdictions. Organised by the International Law Students Association with the support of White & Case LLP, students compete in a national round at the inns of court in London, usually in late February, and qualifying teams compete in international rounds held in Washington DC, usually in early April.

The competition consists of written and oral pleadings on a single case addressing contemporary issues of public international law in the context of a hypothetical legal dispute between two states before the International Court of Justice. Each team prepares two written memorials, due in January. Teams then prepare two 45-minute oral presentations, one for each party to the dispute, to be presented before judges at the National and International Rounds. The final is usually judged by leading international lawyers, including judges of the International Court of Justice.

Glasgow enters a team of 2-5 students. It is open to all students but experience of mooting or international law is desirable. Application deadlines and team selection are typically around the end of September/beginning of October.

For further information, contact Dr Joseph Crampin, Dr Matina Papadaki or Prof James Devaney.

Visit out more on the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition website 

The Vis Moot is the leading international commercial arbitration moot in the world, with students from over 80 countries taking part. The moot revolves around a complex international commercial dispute that is normally subject to the jurisdiction of an international arbitral tribunal. After the Vis Moot case is released in early October, teams have approximately eight weeks to write a memorandum for the claimant. After submitting this first memorandum, teams have approximately six weeks to write a memorandum for the respondent. 

Teams meet in Vienna, the host city, around April, where they will have the opportunity to defend each of the parties’ positions over a series of four oral hearings. The sixty-four teams with the highest score in those four hearings go through to the elimination rounds. 

Glasgow normally enters a team of 2-5 students. The team is open to all students. Applications and selection are normally in late September/early October. 

For further information, contact Prof Toni Marzal. 

To find out more, visit the Vis Moot website.

The Nuremberg Moot Court is a moot based on international criminal law. The finals of the moot are held at the Nuremberg Palace of Justice, where the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg sat in judgment on the major Nazi war criminals. The competition consists of a written phase, with memorandums submitted in early April, and an oral phase, held in Nuremberg usually in July. The final is judged by significant figures in the field of international criminal law, often including judges of the International Criminal Court. 

Teams comprise 3-5 students. 

Teams apply for the competition by submitting letters of motivation, with a deadline around early December. Successful teams are informed early the following year. 

Students interested in participating should contact the mooting coordinator (EMAIL) well in advance of the application deadline. 

To learn more, visit the Nuremberg Moot Court website.

The Helga Pederson Moot is the leading European human rights law moot court competition, organised by the European Law Students Association (ELSA). It takes place each year at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Teams first compete on written submissions, and the best teams at the written phase are invited to compete in the oral proceedings held in July.

Teams comprise 3-5 students.

Deadline for registration is usually in December.

Students interested in participating should contact the mooting coordinator (EMAIL) well in advance of the registration deadline.

To learn more, visit the Helga Pederson Moot website.

The Oxford IP Moot is an international moot based on an intellectual property law problem. Eligible teams submit written memorials, by mid-December, and the teams with the best written memorials are invited to take part in oral rounds held in Oxford, around March.

Students compete as a team of 2-3 students.

Interested students should get in contact with the mooting coordinator (email) early in the first semester to register their interest.

To learn more, visit the Oxford IP Moot website.

The Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot is the largest moot competition on the topic of international investment law. It involves a problem based on modern international law applied to real historical events. It consists of a written skeleton argument, submitted around early May, and oral hearings, held in Frankfurt in mid-June. 

Teams comprise 2-4 students. 

Deadline for registration is in March. 

Interested students should get in contact with the mooting coordinator (uofgmooting@glasgow.ac.uk) early in the second semester to register their interest. 

To find out more, visit the Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot website.

The Price Media Law Moot is an international moot competition hosted by Oxford University on issues relating to freedom of expression. The case is based on international human rights law rules about freedom of expression. It consists of written memorials, Regional Rounds held in December/January, and international rounds held in Oxford around April. 

Teams comprise 2-6 students. 

Students interested in participating should contact the mooting coordinator (EMAIL) well in advance of the registration deadline. 

To find out more, visit the Price Media Law Moot website.

The Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot, founded in 1992, is one of the largest international law mooting competitions with over 60 teams from around the world competing. The problem focusses on international law of outer space. The competition consists of a written and an oral phase, and is divided into five regional rounds. In Europe, the teams with the top memorial score are invited to participate in oral rounds held at the European Space Agency in Paris, usually in April. The winners of each regional round are invited to the international finals, held in October. The final is  held during the International Astronautical Congress, held on a different continent each year, and is often judged by judges from the International Court of Justice. 

Teams comprise 2-3 students. Teams are required to have an advisor from the School of Law. 

Deadline for registration is usually around the end of February. This is also the deadline for the written memorials. 

Students interested in participating should contact the mooting coordinator (uofgmooting@glasgow.ac.uk) in the first semester. 

The European Law Moot Court is the most prestigious moot court in the area of European Union law. Over 80 teams participate each year. Teams submit written pleadings, usually in November. The top 48 teams qualify for a regional oral phase, held in February, and the top teams from the regional rounds qualify for the finals, held in late March/early April in the Court of Justice of the European Union. 

Teams comprise 3-4 students. 

Deadline for registration is usually around the end of November, the same time as the deadline for the written memorials. 

Students interested in participating should contact the mooting coordinator (uofgmooting@glasgow.ac.uk)in the first semester. 

To learn more, visit the European Law Moot Court webpages.