The WCL team competing in the first round of the 2006 Jean-Pictet Competition |
International Criminal and Humanitarian Law Competitions
The War Crimes Research Office prepares WCL students to participate in two law competitions: the Jean-Pictet Competition and the Pace Law School International Criminal Court Moot Competition.
Jean-Pictet Competition
Application information for Jean-Pictet will be available in October. WCL students should stay tuned to the Docket newsletter for more information about applying.
The Jean-Pictet Competition is a series of simulated diplomatic negotiations involving the application of international humanitarian law. The competition is an excellent opportunity for students to immerse themselves in the study and practice of the laws of war, and to develop important skills sets that are involved in the fields of international humanitarian law, such as negotiation, lobbying and advocacy.
Each fall the War Crimes Research Office selects a team of three WCL students to apply to participate in the competition. Selection is competitive, and students with experience in humanitarian or international criminal law are particularly encouraged to apply.
First held in 1989, the competition is named for Jean Pictet, a leading member of the International Committee for the Red Cross who played an integral role in the drafting of the Geneva Conventions. The competition takes place over one week, and two concurrent competitions are held, one in English and one in French. One winning team from each group is selected to participate in the final round of the competition. In 2005, there were six teams from the United States from among 30 English-speaking and 18 French-speaking teams. For more information about the Competition, please visit its website at www.concourspictet.org.
In the last two years, WCL has been represented by the following teams:
WCL's 2006 Jean-Pictet team. From left, tutor Duncan Wilson, Katharine Brown, Christian De Vos and Elizabeth "Ellee" Walker |
The 2006 Competition
The 2006 competition was held in Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia and Montenegro, from March 4-11, 2006. WCL students Katharine Brown, Christian De Vos and Elizabeth “Ellee” Walker represented the Washington College of Law. The team distinguished themselves, advancing to the semi-finals of the competition.
The 2005 Competition
The 2005 competition took place in Collonges-la-Rouge, France, from April 2-9. Jennifer Dorn, J.P. Henderson and Kristen McGeeney represented the Washington College of Law at the competition.
Pace Law School International Criminal Court Moot Competition
Application information for Pace ICC will be available in the spring of 2007. WCL students should stay tuned to the Docket newsletter for more information about applying.
The Pace Law School International Criminal Court Moot Competition is open to the international law school community, welcoming law schools from disparate legal traditions to compete against one another in the context of a hypothetical criminal trial to be argued before the International Criminal Court. Each team submits three short memorials (briefs) requiring the students to research and develop arguments based on the three participants in ICC prosecutions, i.e., the Prosecution, the Defense and the Victims’ Advocates, a new role developed for the first time for the International Criminal Court. These memorials are evaluated by legal scholars, and prizes are awarded for best brief, second place runner-up, and third place runner-up in each of the three categories of memorials. Unique to this competition is the fact that each team of students participates in three rounds of oral arguments and has the opportunity to argue from all three perspectives: prosecutor, defense counsel and victims’ advocate. For more information about the competition, please visit the website at www.pace.edu/lawschool/icc/index.html.
The Pace competition is held annually in White Plains, New York. The War Crimes Research Office plans to prepare WCL's first delegation of students to participate in the 2007 competition.
