International Moot Court Program

The International Moot Court Program, the only one of its kind in the U.S., allows students to represent the University of Miami School of Law in various legal competitions around the world while obtaining course credit. The program is comprised of both a workshop and participation in one international moot court competition

Become a Member of the Program

Students interested in having fun, while engaging in challenging litigation and international law experiences, are ideal for this program. Through this program students:

  • Develop effective advocacy techniques
  • Participate in opportunities which improve analytical, research, and writing skills
  • Become exposed to different cultures and legal systems
  • Meet distinguished attorneys and judges that practice international law
  • Create an international law network
  • Enhance their law school education through a hands-on, fun experience

Participation in the International Moot Court Board student organization (while not required) is a great way to prepare for the International Moot Court Program.

Melissa Guijarro“International Moot Court has been the most rewarding and enriching experience of my law school career. It has taught me how to be an effective oral advocate, empowered me as a young professional woman, and pushed me out of my comfort zone. Our MOOTMadrid team invested countless hours learning and practicing, culminating in a very fulfilling week of oral rounds in Madrid, Spain. Representing the University of Miami in an international competition allowed us to network with some of the most distinguished professionals in the international arbitration field. Additionally, it was a great opportunity to meet bright students from all over the globe. Simply an incredible journey!”
Melissa Guijarro, Class of 2023 (MootMadrid, 2023)

International Moot Court Competitions

These interschool competitions take place across the globe.

In front of a mock International Tribunal, students act as counselors and advocate the different sides of a case based on a problem written by an organization or school.

Competitions enable students to learn how to litigate a case doing what an attorney does in real life:

  • Analyze the problem
  • Identify the legal issues
  • Research the law
  • Write briefs
  • Orally present to the moot court

List of Competitions

Areas of the law and competitions in which Miami Law has participated:

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  • International Public Law

    EMC2 ELSA Moot Court Competition is a simulated hearing of the WTO dispute settlement system. Teams prepare and analyze fictive case and present their arguments both for the complainant and the respondent in front of a Panel which consists of WTO and trade law experts.

    The International and European Tax Moot Court is a direct response to this challenge of globalization. the main goal is to allow students from around the world, specializing in taxation, to sharpen their skills of oral presentation and written argumentation in a competitive international environment. It is organized by the European Tax College Foundation, Leuven, Belgium.

    Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition is the world's largest moot court competition, with participants from over 550 law schools in more than 80 countries. The Competition takes place in March in Washington, D.C. and entails a simulation of a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations.

    Susan J. Ferrell Moot Court Competition is a competition that takes place in Miami, FL. It revolves around a simulated court proceeding, in which teams representing both sides of the argument prepare written pleadings with respect to a fictional problem of international human rights law and policy, and present their arguments in an oral argument before the International Court of Justice.

     Eloris Snyder "Participating on the IMCB's Jessup International Moot Court team was my most valued experience throughout law school. I was given the opportunity to develop strong relationships with professors, students, and attorneys in the South Florida community that are passionate about Public International Law. I gained valuabe experience researching law,   drafting  legal arguments, and advocating. It was a rewarding experience that I am grateful to have been a part of for two years, and I will continue to draw upon the skills I learned."
    -Eloris Snyder, J.D., Case Consultant, TransPerfect Legal Solutions, Houston

  • International Criminal Law

    International Criminal Court (ICC) Moot Competition, held annually at Pace University School of Law in White Plains, NY, is now the official English language round for the ICC Trial Competition held in The Hague. Every year, the ICC Moot attracts some 60 teams from all over the world. The competition begins at the end of October and goes on until the end of May, when the final rounds take place in The Hague – ‘the Capital of International Peace’ – in the Netherlands.

    ICC Trial Competition takes place at The Hague in April. It is unique in its direct focus on ICC proceedings and international criminal law. The competition allows law students with a common interest in international criminal law to come together, meet other budding lawyers from around the world in an exciting and fun setting and to meet highly respected legal figures in international criminal law.

  • International Human Rights Law

    Price Media Law Moot Court Programme takes place in January in New York City and is more than a moot court. More broadly, the Moot Court Programme is also a tool for raising the profile of freedom of expression by bringing informed and effective debate and discussion on significant issues of information flows and technology to many parts of the world.

    Inter-American Human Rights Competition occurrs in Washington, D.C. and was established to train attorneys on how to use the Inter-American human rights legal system as a legitimate forum for redressing human rights violations.

    Julia Kosinski "I felt very excited and proud of our performance in the Inter-American Competition in D.C., and we left the competition with the confidence that we represented ourselves, our school, and   even our country, in a wonderful light. The comments from the judges in each of our 3 preliminary rounds also supported our confidence - we were told we had great poise, knew the arguments very well, made excellent eye contact with the judges, were respectful and yet, forceful and confident with our arguments. I had an overall wonderful experience and we were very pleased with our performance at the competition. We also met many great and interesting students and even made some truly great friends."
    -Julia Kosinski

  • International Investment Law

    Foreign Direct Investment Arbitration Moot - This moot helps future lawyers attain a practical understanding of these issues. The case and hearings offer a unique forum for academics and practitioners from around the world to discuss developments - and assess emerging talents. 

    Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court - This international student competition focusing on investment protection which takes place each March in Frankfurt, Germany. The students present their arguments orally before tribunals of arbitration compose of investment treaty specialists.

  • International Commercial Arbitration Law

    Willem C. Vis Arbitral Moot - Each year in Vienna, Austria, the goal of this competition is to foster the study of international commercial law and arbitration for resolution of international business disputes. The competition applies a concrete problem of a client and to train law leaders of tomorrow in methods of alternative dispute resolution. The competition starts during the month of October and is open to participants from all over the world.

    La Competición Internacional de Arbitraje y Derecho Mercantil (Moot Madrid) -  Esta competicion tiene diversos objetivos que giran en torno a la formación de los estudiantes de Derecho en cuestiones relativas al Derecho Uniforme del Comercio Internacional y su resolución mediante el Arbitraje Mercantil Internacional.

    La Competencia UBA-Rosario International Commercial Arbitration (The University of Buenos Aires and University of the Rosario September, Buenos Aires, Argentina) - Es una propuesta educativa con formato competitivo, cuyo proposito es fomentar el estudio del derecho comercial internacional y el arbitraje como método de resolucion de conflictos.

    Kevin Huber"My experience with Vis was also the best experience of my law school career. I have to say I was a bit intimidated; however, with months of practice from three stellar coaches as well as learning from and being encouraged by my teammates we eventually formed into a very strong group of competitors.I thought it was the best way to learn a subject [arbitration], because it was through practical application. However, beyond the academic endeavor, what I loved most about participating in Vis was competing with, interacting with and becoming friends with fellow competitors from around the world. We also we able to meet numerous teams again and again and establish lasting relationships with them."
    -Kevin Huber, J.D., Associate, WilmerHale, London

  • International Maritime Law

    International Maritime Law Arbitration Moot - This  is a moot court competition for law students  to provide the students an opportunity to develop knowledge in maritime arbitration and to develop their abilities to persuade as well as their written and oral advocatory techniques. The International Moot Competition on Maritime Arbitration (IMCMA) is held every year either in the UK, Australia, or Singapore. The language of the IMCMA is English.

Program Requirements

Student Requirements

  • 2L, 3L and LL.M. students may try out for the program
  • Excellent advocacy skills or a desire to learn advocacy skills
  • 3.0 GPA
  • Good writing and research skills
  • Though not required, other languages are a plus, especially Spanish and Portuguese

Workshop

Part of the International Moot Court Program is a workshop that provides students with the opportunity to refine their written and oral advocacy skills on international law litigation.

The course covers basic concepts of international law, public and private, plus oral advocacy skills and research techniques. The workshop is worth 4 academic credits, divided into two semesters:

  • 2 credits during the fall semester, where the grade is based on coursework
  • 2 credits during the spring semester, where the grade is based on moot court competition preparation and performance
  • Classes meet Fridays at 11:00 am in classroom F402.

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Application

Application for IMCP year 2023-2024 opens on March 7, and Tryouts will take place on April 11-12 in room A316d.

Note: To access the application, please use your law school credentials (ex:jsmith@law.miami.edu) and the associated password. If you have not previously reset your law password, your C number will be your password. You may also log in using your Canelink credentials (ex: cgcent\caneId) and the associated password. If you still have login issues, please contact the help desk at 305-284-5297 or visit room C-118 inside the law library.

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 "Without a doubt, my participation has been the most fulfilling experience of my law school career. My team invested a countless hours in preparation, which concluded in a rewarding week of oral rounds at Universidad del Rosario in Bogota. I gained practical experience and honed the analytical, research and oral advocacy skills that practicing attorneys must have. Also, while in Bogota, I had the opportunity to meet and network with renowned professionals of international commercial arbitration and young aspiring lawyers from around the globe with whom I have formed friendships. I am certain that during the rest of my legal career I will continue to draw upon the skills and knowledge I obtained in the competition."
-Austrailia Alba, J.D.

"It was a tremendous to have a chance to argue in a language other than my primary language which is Portuguese. I have learned during the entire process, since we started to do the research, we really studied in depth the international conventions like the CIGS, the Ottawa Convention, the UNCITRAL Model Law, among others. In Madrid, we met students from all over the world and were able to fell what it is to be part of an international arbitral proceeding. The arbitrators were very professional and in certain occasions even tough on us, but it is all part of the learning experience. Simply awesome!"
-Juliana Lopes Leitte, J.D./LL.M. in Real Property Development

Program Director and More Information

Paula AriasProfessor Paula Arias, an expert in dispute resolution in Latin America, leads the International Moot Court Program (IMCP).

Contact at parias@law.miami.edu
Office A315

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