A Faculty of Law team recently competed in not one, but two prestigious French speaking Human Rights Moot Court Competitions. The Faculty's formidable team was comprised of Laura Andrade and Amélie Raabe (LLM students) and Amélie Ryan-Borde (LLB student). LLB student Raul Nedelcu provided support to the team as paralegal consultant. The team was mentored by Dr. Katerina Tsampi and Monique Kalsi of the Department of Transboundary Legal Studies.

The team had to submit written submissions and present oral pleadings in two different cases in the context of two separate Human Rights Moot Court Competitions. 

In the first competition, Plaidoirie francophone en droit européen des droits de l’homme 2023-2024, hosted by the Université Catholique de Lyon (UCLy) in the context of Erasmus Blended Intensive Programme (BIP), from March 4th-8th 2024, the team advanced to the finals and continued the successful tradition of the previous edition (2022-2023) of the competition. The team represented the applicant in a case of highly topical character, which centered on environmental protection, raised pressing legal issues both on the admissibility and the merits. Amélie Ryan-Borde won the distinction of “Best oralist” in the “Concours-off” event of the competition. BIP offers students a versatile moot court experience as it allows them to attend preparatory lectures provided by the different partner universities in the project on a number of relevant topics, join common cultural experiences and events, and eventually participate in a moot court competition event.

The teams participation in the second human rights Moot Court Competition was in the esteemed French Moot Court Competition in European Human Rights Law, famously known as the Concours Européen des Droits de l'Homme René Cassin . The team’s hard-work and dedication was reflected in their written memorial of 40 pages. This allowed them to qualify for the international oral round of the competition’s 39th edition, held in the premises of the Council of Europe/European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France on March 21st-22nd. The team represented the State/respondent in a highly compelling case centered on the theme of art, literature, and the advent of AI. The Faculty’s first participation in the competition was specifically noted during the event, considering that French is not our University’s working language.

The team and their coaches are commended for their unwavering dedication and representation of the Faculty in these challenging competitions. Their success highlights the diversity among Faculty students and staff, the significance of internationalization in our curriculum, and the practical benefits of the Law in Practice components of our LLM degree programs in support of such participations.

Looking ahead, the Faculty anticipates further engagement and success in future competitions, aspiring to uphold and elevate the esteemed mooting tradition at the University of Groningen, Faculty of Law.

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