A team of law students from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) represented Hong Kong at the Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition in Washington DC between 21-27 March 2010. The CUHK team comprised Roger Phang (LLB4), Vinca Yau (LLB2), Patrick Siu (PCLL), Peter Chang (PCLL) and Cora Ang (JD2). The team was coached by Michael Ramsden, Stephen Hall, Helen Yu and Carol Lee.

Entering its 51st year, the Jessup attracts participation from nearly 600 law schools drawn from more than 80 countries. Successful teams from Regional Championships go on to compete in the White & Case International Rounds, which take place every March in Washington, DC. The competition considers highly contentious issues in international law and is widely regarded as the gold standard in international mooting.  This year’s moot problem concerned the right of a people to self-determination and sovereignty over their natural resources; the facts were inspired by the ongoing dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands and its mineral resources. In working on this problem, each team was made up of five student members. Following the release of the moot problem in October 2009, each team had to write two 12,000 word memorials and make complex legal arguments before an illustrious panel of judges.

For the second year running, the CUHK team won the Hong Kong Regional Championship, prevailing over extremely competitive teams from Hong Kong University and the City University of Hong Kong. In the Regional Championship, the CUHK team also won prizes for the Best Oralist (Roger Phang, LLB4) and Best Memorial.

At the International Rounds in Washington DC, the CUHK team ranked 19th overall from the 105 competing teams who made it to this stage of the competition. This represents a fantastic achievement for the team of law students and their coaches and highlights the international level of excellence of legal education in Hong Kong.