A week ago, the 2021 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition finally came to an end. This year was the first time the Jessup was held remotely, and it brought together 570 Teams from 90 countries. I was honored to be a part of the largest virtual moot court competition in the world and of course the opportunity to join this competition despite the hurdles this pandemic has given to me.
My team and I did some warm ups by joining the intercontinental round on 1-7 March and we finished as the First Runner Up.
READ HERE : JESSUP INTERCONTINENTAL ROUNDS
Joining the global round was definitely a whole level of experience for me. We made it to the White and Case Advanced Rounds. Listed among Top 168 teams with our Malaysian friends from The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and University of Malaya. Unfortunately, the Jessup journey for me ended there. Our team did not advance to the next rounds as the Top 48.
I sure am proud of myself and grateful that it was virtual as I was sick during my rounds. If it was conducted physically I doubt that I can stand up straight.
It was a memorable experience for sure. Sometimes I cried during the feedback sessions with the judges. Mainly when most of them said that it was a great match, they're proud and asked us to give ourselves a big pat on the back for making it here after working so hard.
Other than, I really appreciate their feedbacks especially on our knowledge of the law and remind us to always keep ourselves aware of new/recent cases (especially international cases since it's an international competition). This is exactly one of the reason why I join such competitions because I don't see myself digging or researching on some international law cases that I might not learn in class (but you should, please do).
At the end of the competition, it was really sad. I remember getting the offer to join the competition on the last day of my internship last year. After 7 whole months of doing research and oral training with coaches Prof Irwin, Dr Ummi Hani, a long list of alumni and my teammates, I am glad of our achievement. It's never about winning but it's always about the journey.
Finally, kudos to all mooters for taking part this year despite of the pandemic. I had my shares of technical issues during the rounds and I sure saw some of the mooters experienced the same thing. I became more calm now in handling technical issues I guess.
I'm so excited for another moot competition, looking forward to meet more law students virtually and hopefully physically by the end of the year.
