Dhaka University wins Bangladesh national round of Philip C Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition 2021

A Dhaka University team has won the 5th Bangladesh National Round of Philip C Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, 2021 (Jessup) competition on Saturday.

The competition, hosted at East West University, and was inaugurated on February 11, said a press release issued by US Embassy in Dhaka on Monday.

At the end of the final round on February 13, the team form BRAC University came second in the competition, the release added.

During the inauguration ceremony, United States Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R Miller said that he was impressed was with the participating members he had met in 2019; similar to the people of the Bengali Language movement who fought against injustice.

Ambassador Miller reiterated the same expectation from participating teams this year and encouraged each of them to inspire small changes so that together they could stand fearless when facing injustice.

Chief Guest of the occasion, Bangladesh Attorney General, AM Amin Uddin said that Moot Court competitions, such as Jessup, can hone the advocacy skills of talented law students that would otherwise be unattainable from books and law school literature.

Attorney General Uddin encouraged universities to host Moot Court competitions at the district level to ensure inclusion of all law students in these opportunities, the release said.

Special guest on the occassion, Chief Advisor to East West University, Professor Dr Mohammed Farashuddin expressed optimism because of the contributions made by the younger generation in Bangladesh and said that participation allows upcoming lawyers to practice communicating their arguments effectively.

The Executive Director of International Law Students Association (ILSA), Lesley A Benn noted how invaluable this experience was for the law students and anticipated spectacular global rounds.

Sayem Ali Pathan, Jessup National Administrator since 2019, thanked the organizing team for coordinating this virtual event.

Jessup is the world's largest Moot Court competition, which brings together aspiring law students from approximately 700 law schools across 100 nations and jurisdictions. Competitors address fictional disputes between countries before the International Court of Justice.

The competition serves as a platform to effectively build oral and written presentation skills that are instrumental in developing aspiring lawyers' overall advocacy skills and exposes law students to the international community.

The Bangladesh Founding National Administrator of Jessup and current National Coordinator of ILSA Chapters, Nuran Choudhury, started on the path to hosting in 2013, and after several attempts to find funding and a team, his perseverance paid off. Bangladesh hosted the first Jessup national round in 2017, the release said.

The United States Department of Justice, Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (USDOJ/OPDAT) sponsored 19 universities from Bangladesh and provided an appellate attorney from the US Department of Justice to judge the quarterfinal round.

The international rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition 2021 will be held from March 13, 2021 to April 18, 2021, the release added.