News
July/August 2015 International Criminal Law Moot Court, Nuremberg
On 31 July and 1 August the International Nuremberg Principles Academy organized a moot court in international criminal law. The Maastricht University team consisting of Jeremy Block, Simran Sohi, Alex Brown and Craig Eggett won all rounds (subsequently against teams from the United States, Passau University, Sao Paulo, Brazil and Durham University) and the final against a team from Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Kiew, Ukraine.
In each round, teams had to present either the position of the Prosecution or of the Defence concerning the fictitious accused Ms Minsa, who allegedly had committed crimes falling under the Statute of the International Criminal Court.
In addition to winning the overall competition, Alex Brown of Maastricht University received the award as the Best Speaker of the final round. Team coaches were Hannah Brodersen and André Klip.
The moot court took place in the famous Court room No. 600 of the courthouse in Nuremberg. The same court room in which the trials of Göring, Hess, Seyss-Inquart and other Nazi-leaders before the International Military Tribunal took place in 1946. The current Nuremberg Moot Court enables students to improve their public speaking and practical legal skills and is a challenging opportunity to turn theoretical knowledge gained at law schools into practice. The mechanisms of the International Criminal Court practice will be made understandable through active participation of the students in a fictitious legal debate. The “judges”of the moot court were practitioners and academics in international criminal law. The Presiding judge was Judge Wolfgang Schomburg (formerly ICTY-judge).
March 2014: Team Maastricht Law Faculty celebrates sixth victory in Luxemburg
After long and intensive preparations for months and a convincing victory in the regional finals in Portugal, the team went to the finals in Luxemburg last Friday, 28 March 2014. The team, consisting of students Eva van Ooij, Pauline Melin, Myriam Douo and Vilma Imahaki, competed against the winners of the other regional finals: Lund, Louvain and Michigan. Coached by Sarah Schoenmaekers, Alexander Hoogenboom and Maja Brkan, this led to a glorious victory.
This year, the subject of the moot court was the recognition of gay marriage and and adoption by people of the same gender in the European Union. The students discussed an imaginary case about two men (one with and one without EU-nationailty) who moved from EU-member state A to EU-member state B. In that country, the men decided to et married. Moreover, the non-EU partner decided to adopt the other man’s child from a previous marriage to a woman in country A. When they wished to return to country A together, this country refused to recognize both the marriage and the adoption. They stated that the national identity of this country would oppose to this gay marriage. A very difficult case!
During their study programme, students of the Maastricht Faculty of Law practise pleading regularly and often score high in international legal moot court competitions. During a moot court competition, students work on an imaginary case, write case documents and plead on behalf of their party before a panel of judges or professors against teams of otheruniversities.
Last Friday's victory was the sixth victory in this prestigious European Law Moot Court Competition. No other university ever won this often!
March 2014: Maastricht team ends third in European & International Tax Moot Court
In the week of carnival some of our students still had serious business to attend to. The team representing Maastricht in the European & International Tax Moot Court competition, held at Leuven University, ended up third. It consisted of Allison Bilska, Luca Landini Busei, Patrizia Oumar and Agatha Rogala; their coach was Dr. Federica Pitrone. Our team also won the prizes for being the best oral team on behalf of the defendant (Agatha Rogala and Allison Bilska) and for the best defendant’s memorandum. Allison Bilska was awarded a prize for best individual defendant as well. With their strong performance the team received many well deserved compliments from both judges and competing teams.
February 2014: Maastricht team wins regional final European Law Moot Court Competition!
The Maastricht team won the regional final of the European Law Moot Court Competition that took place in Braga, Portugal. They will now have the chance to present their case at the all-European final at the Court of Justice of the EU in Luxemburg on 28 March.
Pauline Melin, Myriam Douo, Eva van Ooij and Vilma Imahaki did not only win ‘as a team’ but Maastricht also qualified as the best representative of the European Commission (Vilma). Their three coaches, Maja Brkan, Alexander Hoogenboom and Sarah Schoenmaekers are very proud of them!
Februari 2014: Maastricht team 3rd out of 66 world-wide teams in International Commercial Mediation Competition
And Maastricht strikes again! Our 2nd year team ranks 3rd out of 66 world-wide teams in the university's first participation to the International Commercial Mediation Competition, held by the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris this week.
Jasmine Styles, Olav de Wit, Jurgen van Heertum and Kate O'Reilly managed to pass through the preliminary rounds after meeting Ljubljana, Ottawa, South Texas and St. John's and then got to play against Hamlin, Nalsar and Monash, making their coaches, Catalina Goanta and Jehan Edriouch, incredibly proud of them!
