For the first time in school history, the team from Case Western Reserve University School of Law won the World Championship of the Jessup International Law Moot Court competition, held April 6-12, 2008, at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The Jessup Competition, now in its 49th year, is the world's largest and most prestigious international law Moot Court tournament, featuring 598 schools from 98 different countries. Case Western Reserve University’s Jessup Team consisted of third year law students Zach Lampell, Alex Laytin, and Brianne Draffin, and second year law students Margaux Day and Patrick Dowd.



In the quarter-finals, they faced a formidable opponent in the National University of Singapore -- the most successful school in Jessup history, with four grand trophies in its cupboard and an 82.1 winning percentage in preliminary rounds.

In the finals, their competition was University of New South Wales from the one nation with a Jessup tradition to rival Singapore's. Australia's teams have an 88.2 winning percentage in the history of the preliminary rounds and have won the Cup eight times, including three of the last six years. The competition takes place over Australia’s summer vacation, leaving much room for practice. Despite a full class schedule for Case Western Reserve University students, they surpassed the Australian team, performing more than 50 times before the finals. In the final round Margaux Day clinched the title.

More than 800 people attended the Championship Round, which was judged by Richard Goldstone, former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and a Constitutional Court Judge from South Africa; David Crane, former Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court of Sierra Leone and former Inspector General of the US Armed forces; and Lucy Reed, an international arbitration counsel at Freshfields and newly elected President of the American Society of International Law.

Beth Young coached the team through all its victories, including the 2008 U.S.Mid-Atlantic Super Regional competition. She is a Case Western Reserve University alumna and a past Jessup regional competition champion, and serves as the federal judicial clerk to the Hon. Peter Economus.

Taken as a group, Case Western Reserve University’s team members have more global experience than many U.S. law firms. Three of the five have worked for the tribunal investigating Cambodian war crimes, and a fourth is headed to Phnom Penh this summer. Two have signed on at the war crimes tribunals for Rwanda and Sierra Leone. Among them, they also have experience working at the International Trade Center in Geneva, the Human Rights Institute in London and a Chinese law firm in Shanghai.

Joint try-outs for next year's Jessup and Niagara Moot Court teams will take place the first three weeks of fall semester, with a five-page brief and a short oral argument.

For the first time in school history, the team from Case Western Reserve University School of Law won the World Championship of the Jessup International Law Moot Court competition, held April 6-12, 2008, at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The Jessup Competition, now in its 49th year, is the world's largest and most prestigious international law Moot Court tournament, featuring 598 schools from 98 different countries. Case Western Reserve University’s Jessup Team consisted of third year law students Zach Lampell, Alex Laytin, and Brianne Draffin, and second year law students Margaux Day and Patrick Dowd.



In the quarter-finals, they faced a formidable opponent in the National University of Singapore -- the most successful school in Jessup history, with four grand trophies in its cupboard and an 82.1 winning percentage in preliminary rounds.

In the finals, their competition was University of New South Wales from the one nation with a Jessup tradition to rival Singapore's. Australia's teams have an 88.2 winning percentage in the history of the preliminary rounds and have won the Cup eight times, including three of the last six years. The competition takes place over Australia’s summer vacation, leaving much room for practice. Despite a full class schedule for Case Western Reserve University students, they surpassed the Australian team, performing more than 50 times before the finals. In the final round Margaux Day clinched the title.

More than 800 people attended the Championship Round, which was judged by Richard Goldstone, former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and a Constitutional Court Judge from South Africa; David Crane, former Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court of Sierra Leone and former Inspector General of the US Armed forces; and Lucy Reed, an international arbitration counsel at Freshfields and newly elected President of the American Society of International Law.

Beth Young coached the team through all its victories, including the 2008 U.S.Mid-Atlantic Super Regional competition. She is a Case Western Reserve University alumna and a past Jessup regional competition champion, and serves as the federal judicial clerk to the Hon. Peter Economus.

Taken as a group, Case Western Reserve University’s team members have more global experience than many U.S. law firms. Three of the five have worked for the tribunal investigating Cambodian war crimes, and a fourth is headed to Phnom Penh this summer. Two have signed on at the war crimes tribunals for Rwanda and Sierra Leone. Among them, they also have experience working at the International Trade Center in Geneva, the Human Rights Institute in London and a Chinese law firm in Shanghai.

Joint try-outs for next year's Jessup and Niagara Moot Court teams will take place the first three weeks of fall semester, with a five-page brief and a short oral argument.