The Australian National University (ANU) won the White & Case sponsored Jessup International Moot Court competition beating NALSAR in the semi-finals and Columbia Law School in the final rounds. After their vacation in the United States, the ANU team returned to Australia and spoke to Bar & Bench. Here are the excerpts of our conversation.

National rounds in Australia

Our team had a lot less pressure on us than most. Before us, the Australian National University hadn't sent a team to the world rounds for 18 years, so we knew our peers and faculty would be incredibly pleased with us no matter how we did. Having that kind of unqualified support behind us was incredibly reassuring! Also, because we never 'aimed' and were never 'expected' to make it pass a certain level, each and every victory held a measure of surprise and felt like an accomplishment!

On winning the 'world cup’ of mooting

A mixture of shock, numbness, and utter exhilaration! Jessup for us wasn't a week, it wasn't even a month, it was four months and countless hours of research and practice. It felt incredibly satisfying that all of our hard work had paid off.

Interesting observations about Jessup

What we found very meaningful about the Jessup moot was the way that it built bridges across different cultures, politics, and socio-economic circumstances. Despite all differences, or perhaps because of them, the Jessup moot fostered incredible camaraderie between all of its competitors, judges, and coaches.

Thoughts on this year's problem

The topics covered in this year's problem were unexpected - a centuries old territorial dispute coupled with contemporary issues of international investment law. Although we had all studied international law to varying degrees prior to Jessup, we had absolutely no exposure to anything even remotely like investment law - the subject is not even taught at our university! We admit that gave us no small measure of trepidation, but we tackled the issues as best as we could and learned a lot in the process!

Interaction with the Indian team

We met several teams from India at social functions and got along with them very well. While a lot of teams were guarded we found the Indian teams very open and casual and it was a pleasure making their acquaintance! We came up against the team from NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad in the semi-finals of the competition. We thought the NALSAR team was very knowledgeable and polished. Like many of the final rounds it was an incredibly close match.

Judges

Throughout the competition we found that many of our benches were filled with Judges who were eminent academics and leaders in the field of international law. It is quite intimidating at times to have your arguments and delivery scrutinized by experts, but at the same time you feel a far greater sense of accomplishment if you are able to create a dialogue with them and answer questions to their satisfaction.

Team’s future plans?

Many of us intend to pursue corporate law or government practice in the short term to gain practical legal skills. Our long-term goals will be heavily influenced by our experiences in the workforce over the next few years. Whether we end up as partners in a commercial firm, or Attorney Generals, or Judges, only the future will tell! I think Jessup has certainly awakened an international law passion in some of us, and we will be seeing how we can use that passion in the context of our professional life.

Interest in India?

We all harbor a fondness for India and its rich history and cultural heritage. Three of our team members have visited India, and will likely do so again in the future!