This is the first time the university has made it to the international rounds.

The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition is the world’s largest international law moot competition. Participants from around 700 law schools in 100 countries and jurisdictions compete in a simulation of a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice on cutting-edge issues of international law.

Teams must submit written submissions in the form of two 9,500-word memorials, compete and perform well in their respective country’s national rounds, and if they perform to a high enough standard, they will also compete in the international rounds in Washington, DC.

This year, the Edinburgh Law School team were semi-finalists, came fourth, and received the fourth-best memorial award in the UK national rounds, held in Lincoln’s Inn in London and qualifying them for the international rounds in Washington, DC.

The team consists of two LLB final year students, Yoanna M Gammoh and Margaret J Driscoll, and three LLM students, Luisa Hofmann, Colin Cherian Shaji, and  Frankie Hinks.

The law school’s Jessup coaches Harikrishna Palaniappan and Matilde Masetti Placci said: “We are incredibly proud of these historic results.

“Having both competed in the world rounds of Jessup, we understand particularly well the sheer effort and skills it takes to get to Washington, DC. These students have been working tirelessly since October 2023 and, in the case of the LLB students, since May 2023.

“Finally, the University of Edinburgh will be representing the UK for the first time in its history. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a strong international mooting tradition at the University.”