Moot Court International Criminal Law
The ICC Moot Court Competition is an English-language Moot Court on international criminal law which takes place annually in The Hague at the seat of the International Criminal Court. This Moot Court runs from November to May and is divided into two rounds of competition. In the first round, written memorials are prepared. The second round takes place in The Hague, where the participating teams plead in front of a jury.
The issues to be dealt with address current topics of international criminal law which lack consolidated case law. As a participant, you will therefore be on the “cutting edge" of legal discourse, as the topics are hotly debated within the international criminal law community.
Further information here.
A report on the ICC Moot Court Competition 2010/2011 can be found here.
The report on the ICC Moot Court Competition 2015/2016 is available here.
Process
Each team consists of 3 speakers and 1-2 researchers. The competition is divided into two phases:
1. Written preparations
The team jointly prepares three comprehensive briefs in English on a fictitious problem of international criminal law based on a current case. During the written phase, speakers and researchers work closely together, with the researchers generally being more responsible for the detailed knowledge of the topics.
2. Oral proceedings
The speakers are responsible for the oral presentations in the main pleading and rebuttal phases of the competition. Their rhetorical skills, demeanor and persuasiveness are crucial to the team's success.
The researchers are the content experts. They prepare the rebuttal for their own speaker during the oral proceedings. During the pleadings, they pay attention to the arguments of the opposing teams, the questions and doubts of the judges and the weaknesses or errors in the argumentation of their own speaker. To do this, they need a much broader view of the entire event than the speaker. The team's success depends largely on their choice of supplementary arguments to present.
The team will receive comprehensive support from experienced coaches from the chair team throughout the competition. In addition, the team will be supported in familiarizing themselves with international criminal law at the beginning of the competition.
Participation
Required knowledge and experience
- Profound written and oral skills in English.
- Interest in international law
- Ability and willingness to familiarize yourself independently with foreign legal matters
- Completion of the intermediate law examination (Zwischenprüfung) and commencement of the specialization program (Schwerpunktbereich) are not required.
Application instructions
Documents can be submitted in German or English
- Cover letter (letter of motivation, max. 1 page)
- Curriculum vitae in tabular form with photograph
- Transcript of records
- Miscellaneous certificates on extracurricular activities (voluntary work, language skills, interests, etc.)
Application phase 2024
The dates for the upcoming application phase will be announced.