Monash excels at Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot
L to R: Kieran Christou, Jennifer Madgwick, Adj. Prof. William Lye OAM KC, Alexander Xing, Serena Malatesta, Haneen Ashmeel. Photograph: Hilary Wardhaugh, used with permission.
Monash Law's moot team made it to the quarter finals of the national rounds of the 2025 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Competition in Canberra. For the first time in the competition’s history, administrators had to invoke the rule to go to raw scores, which is where our moot team's efforts were cruelled.
Monash University law students Jennifer Madgwick (Team Co-Captain), Alexander Xing (Team Co-Captain), Kieran Christou, Haneen Ashmeel and Serena Malatesta travelled with coach Adjunct Professor William Lye OAM KC to Canberra in February 2025 to compete in the National Rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Competition.
The Jessup Moot is the world’s largest and most prestigious mooting competition, drawing participants from approximately 700 law schools across 100 different countries and jurisdictions. The competition simulates a dispute between nations before the International Court of Justice. Teams serve as counsel, presenting oral and written pleadings to address complex international law issues in the context of a hypothetical legal dispute.
The 2025 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot case
This year, the Case Concerning the Naegea Sea required competitors to navigate jurisdictional issues, the criminal liability of foreign state officials for international crimes, the shifting of maritime baselines due to climate change, and the legitimacy of governments amid the seizure of state assets. Teams were judged by a panel of distinguished international law experts, who evaluated the strength of their legal arguments, presentation and ability to respond to questions.
The Monash Law mooting team won 8th place in the quarter finals. In the week leading up to the elimination rounds, Monash defeated the University of Wollongong and Griffith University but lost to the Australian National University and Macquarie University.
In the quarter finals, the Monash Law mooting team competed against the University of Sydney who had won all 4 of its Preliminary Rounds. Winning the coin toss, Monash strategically chose to argue as the Applicant with Alexander Xing and Haneen Ashmeel representing as agents.
The quarter final decider of the 2025 Jessup
In an incredibly close moot, the teams battled it out for a place in the Semi Finals. The verdict, however, was decided by an unprecedented rule invocation.
The Monash Law mooting team outscored the University of Sydney in oral arguments with Alexander and Haneen having the first and third highest orals scores in the round, however, the teams tied after University of Sydney outscored the Monash Law mooting team in their written memorials, resulting in a draw.
For the first time in Australian National Round history, the tie-breaking rule was invoked, allowing the University of Sydney to advance based on its raw Preliminary Round scores.
From Monash Law and on behalf of the Monash Law team, congratulations to the University of Queensland for winning the Grand Final, and to Macquarie University as the runners-up. Congratulations also to the University of Sydney, who won the Plate Final for third place.
The top three teams – University of Queensland, Macquarie University, and the University of Sydney – will advance to the 2025 White & Case Jessup International Rounds in Washington, D.C., held from 29 March to 5 April 2025. The Monash Law Jessup moot team wish them all the best as they represent Australia on the global stage.