Peking University School of Transnational Law’s Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Team performed strongly at the recently concluded national rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, the largest and most prestigious moot court competition in China and the world.
The team, composed of four second-year students, Deng Zhicong ’18, Li Yidan ’18, Zheng Xinjia ’18 and Zhu Liuheng ’18, competed in the national rounds in Suzhou University on February 17-18, 2016. The team won three of their four rounds with wide margins and received three awards for best oralists — an exceptional outcome in a hard-fought national round.
Zhu Liusheng received the award for sixth best oralist. Deng Zhicong received the award for tenth best oralist, and Zheng Xinjia received the award for twelfth best oralist.
This year’s effort continues STL’s tradition of strong performances in the Jessup Moot Court. In 2013, STL’s team was the China National Champion, earning a spot in the international round in Washington D.C. In 2015, STL’s team advanced to the exhibition round of the international competition in Washington, D.C., where they unanimously defeated three teams from around the world.
Jessup team member Deng Zhicong credits the moot for advancing his advocacy skills. The Jessup, he says, “provides intensive legal training of legal research, analysis, writing and advocacy. We learned to tackle a complex legal problem, present an argument persuasively and work as a team.”
The four students on STL’s Jessup team are among 24 who participate each year in the law school’s international moot court program. This year, in addition to the Jessup team, STL teams have competed in the European Law Student Association WTO Moot Court and the Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot Court. STL teams will compete in the Vis (Vienna) Competition and the Vis (East) Competition.
