War-Crimes Issue Draws Teams from 70 Countries; Top International Law Students, Judges and Lawyers Converge on Washington, D.C. for Jessup Cup's Shearman & Sterling International Rounds

Business Wire, March 31, 2003

Business Editors/Legal Writers

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 2003

Hundreds of law students from around the world will address whether systematic rape and sexual slavery constitute war crimes, and the obligations and rights of states to prosecute those responsible for such acts. They will look at all sides of the issue as they make opposing arguments before some of the most experienced and distinguished lawyers and judges in the international legal community.

These students are here to compete in the Shearman & Sterling International Rounds of the 2003 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Now in its 44th year, the Jessup is the largest moot court competition in the world.

Moot court competitions require students to respond to a timely hypothetical problem, preparing oral and written pleadings for presentation in a simulated courtroom situation. They are judged by panels of experts that include lawyers, judges and scholars. The students participating in the Shearman & Sterling International Rounds are the national champions of their respective countries.

"This year's Jessup problem is very topical, and mirrors issues being addressed by the United Nations' international criminal tribunals," observes Michael Peil, Executive Director of the International Law Students Association (ILSA), which administers the competition. "This is a subject of great interest to international law students, and they are eager for dialogue with other students from around the world. The majority of these students will pursue careers in international law, and many of them will doubtless influence the future of international war crimes tribunals."

After a Sunday, March 30 orientation session, competition rounds begin on Monday and will conclude with a championship round on Saturday, April 5. The championship judges include: Maurice Mendelson, Q.C., international litigator and scholar who has represented clients before the International Court of Justice, the European Court of Justice, and the European Court of Human Rights; H.E. David Scheffer, former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, and; Judge Patricia Wald, who formerly served on the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. The world championship team will be awarded the Shearman & Sterling Jessup Cup.

"These students are addressing real world issues in a non-political venue that allows for an international exchange of ideas," comments Stephen Fishbein, Litigation Partner at Shearman & Sterling. "With student participants from 70 countries, it promises to be a great event."

All judging takes place at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street, NW in Washington, D.C., with the exception of the championship round, which will be held at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, 333 Constitution Avenue, NW.

Additional information about the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, including the full text of the 2003 Jessup problem, is available at www.ilsa.org.

ILSA, composed of law students and lawyers around the world, serves as an umbrella organization for its individual and chapter members at universities worldwide. Through the Jessup Competition, ILSA's chapters, and ILSA's other activities, ILSA reaches over 5,000 law students in nearly 100 countries. Through its extensive partnerships with other regional law student associations, ILSA reaches another 20,000 law students.

Shearman & Sterling is a leading global law firm with more than 1,000 lawyers in 18 cities throughout the world: Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London, Mannheim, Menlo Park, Munich, New York, Paris, Rome, San Francisco, Singapore, Tokyo, Toronto and Washington, D.C.