Have an interest in international law? Seeking to improve your oral advocacy and writing skills? Join the Jessup International Law Moot Court Team. Questions may be directed to Prof. Contesse at
jorge.contesse@rutgers.edu; or Prof. William Schroeder at
bschroeder247@gmail.com.
The Jessup Competition
The 2026-2027 season will be the 68th year of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Jessup is the world’s largest moot court competition with participants from roughly 700 law schools in 100 countries and jurisdictions. The Competition is a simulation of a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations. The Competition explores resolving contemporary world order problems through the rule of law. The Jessup Competition is organized by the International Law Student Association and is judged by practitioners, diplomats, professors, and members of various judiciaries, including notable international law luminaries from around the world.
The Rutgers-Newark Campus Jessup Moot Court team will consist of four or five students. The team will have two students who act as agents for the applicant, two as agents for the respondent, and possibly one alternate. Membership on the team requires time commitments in both the Fall and Spring semesters. Members of the team must either have taken Introduction to International Law class or register for Introduction to International Law for the Summer or Fall 2026 semester and must also register for the International Court Advocacy course during the Fall 2026 semester. In addition, team members can earn two academic credits during the Spring semester for participating on the team. The team is coached by Professors Jorge Contesse, Jootaek Lee, and William Schroeder.
After substantial research during the Fall semester, the Jessup team prepares a brief addressed to the International Court of Justice based on the competition’s fact pattern. The team presents oral arguments at Competitions during the Spring semester. Jessup team members will have the opportunity to develop both strong written and oral advocacy skills and sharpen their legal research ability.
The Team will be selected through a Newark based intra-school competition in May 2026, after exam period. Students will be asked to prepare and present an oral argument based upon materials and a fact pattern supplied in a try-out packet. This intra-school competition is a closed-book competition, i.e., no outside research is required. Students are evaluated on their ability to communicate during an oral argument clearly and persuasively.
If you would like to be considered for membership on the Jessup team, please submit this
application to Professor Jorge Contesse at
jorge.contesse@rutgers.edu on or before May 1st, 2026.
