º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ Moot Court to Compete at World Moot Court Competition in Geneva
º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ Mooters Jonathan McDonald and Jillian Lawrence are headed to Geneva to compete in the Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition. º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ is the only non-law school and the only North American university to qualify for the in-person portion of the event.
The º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ duo earned their spot after submitting a written brief in May and excelling in the preliminary rounds.
McDonald, from Fredericton, NB, and Lawrence, from Truro, NS, are excited about the opportunity to compete in Geneva and meet some of the best mooters from around the world.
“We invested months into our written arguments. It was wonderful and validating to get word that we qualified for the in-person competition. I’m excited to supplement our classroom human rights knowledge with this experience,” said McDonald.
For Lawrence, this will be her first time traveling overseas, having previously participated in competitions for º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ in Toronto, Florida, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Louisiana. This experience will be especially memorable as it may be her final competition as a º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ Mooter.
"I'm honoured that my likely final undergraduate Moot Court competition will be such a momentous occasion,” she said. “The prestige and reach of this competition are unrivaled, and I’m excited to learn from and observe some of the leading human rights scholars and advocates in the world.”
Both Lawrence and McDonald are grateful for the support they’ve received at º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½.
“We’re so grateful for the incredible support from Dr. DiPaolo, the department of Human Rights, and the University. We would not have gotten this far without their support and the valuable help from º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ Moot alumni and professors,” said McDonald.
During the competition, the team will argue a hypothetical state's responsibilities under international human rights law on various issues, including state obligations regarding affirmative action programs, English language testing for students from former colony states, digital rights and freedom of expression on platforms like Twitter/X, Indigenous geographical names, and granting amnesty to perpetrators of war crimes.
º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ is one of the only Canadian undergraduate universities to compete in the American Moot Court Association and is the only undergraduate school to compete in international competitions against law students already in law school.
º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ has consistently performed well in Moot Court competitions, making it an excellent opportunity for undergraduate students to prepare for law school, and develop advanced critical thinking, problem-solving, and written and oral communication skills.