How will the students’ teams of the Armenian law institutes speak as applicants and respondents, provide distinct legal arguments and ground their arguments? This is the goal of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. The most essential here is the knowledge of the International Law and its sources, as well as the ability to be confident when replying the judges’ questions.
The Armenian teams participate in this prominent international moot court since 2000. The Armenian Young Lawyers Association, the Law Foundation of Armenia, and “LEGAL ALLIANCE” Law Firm are co-organizers of the Competition.
The winner team of the National Round shall participate in the International Rounds in Washington, the US, where it shall compete with the teams of more than 90 countries of the world. It is notable that the compromise, which the teams argue, is the same in the National and International Rounds.
“The national round consists of written and oral rounds. After the announcement of the launch of the competition the teams register for participation and submit their memorials. A team is composed of 3-5 members, students of a law faculty of the institute. They have a coach, and an adviser,” Syuzanna Soghomonyan, Armenian National Co-Administrator of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition informed to Iravaban.net.
Seven teams had applied for participation in the 2013 Jessup Competition and received the materials of which four teams introduced their written memorials in time.
“Very often the students wish to organize teams and participate in the competition, and they are rather inspired with the opportunity, however the unavailability of the coach often hinders,” Mariam Zadoyan, Armenian National Co-Administrator of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition mentioned in her interview with Iravaban.net.
The teams had analyzed the international law and its precedents that were related to the topic of the Compromise received from Washington. They prepared their Applicant’s and Respondent’s memorials to participate in the competition in both roles. A jury of 3 judges evaluates the memorials in the written rounds. Further the four teams compete in the oral rounds.
During the first day of the competition each of the four teams met with the other three teams as an Applicant of a Respondent.
Miss Anna Mikaelyan, student of the Yerevan University of Management – Gyumri Branch, attaches importance to the moot court as an opportunity for the law students to obtain knowledge on the international law.
“Regardless the results of the competition, we are sure that the work we carried out shall be a basis for us to become good lawyers and shall help us in our future work. And also assist to our contribution in the development of our country.”
Two of the four teams advanced to the final round after the first day of the competition. And the jury of three judges decided the winner.
Mr. Edmon Marukyan, MP of the NA of the RA, who was the Presiding Judge in the final rounds of the National Competition, said that the winner team was decided jointly by all members of the jury.
“I want to note that we decide the winner based several criteria: knowledge of the law, knowledge of the facts, applicable laws, style, pose and demeanor how the case was presented to the judges.”
The winner is the team of the law students of Yerevan State University.
“Of course we are inspired, and we wish everyone the same inspiration and involvement in the competition in future. The moot court really provides vast knowledge on international law, as well as knowledge to grasp the skills, and skills to introduce the knowledge from the point of view of practice,” Tigran Khachikyan, member of the winner team said.
“It is a great honor for me and also obligating, and I shall do my best to achieve better result in the future,” Grigor Tunyan from the team of the International Scientific – Educational Center of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS RA), which was the second in the National round said. Grigor Tunyan was recognized the “Best Oralist” of the Armenian National Competition.
Mr. Ara Khzmalyan, PhD in International Law was one of the judges of the final round. He participated in the competition for five times: thrice as a team member and twice as a couch of the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University.
“Of course this is different as compared with the international rounds. The most important factor is the language. And the Armenian teams are often in a very difficult situation form this aspect, as they are the only one which have their National Competition in their mother tongue as compared with other more than 80 countries which compete in English though their national language is different,” Mr. Khzmalyan said in his interview to Iravaban.net.
His advice to the teams was to prepare and get ready for the international round permanently.
Nune Hovsepyan
Source: Iravaban.net
