Monash Law Shines in Prestigious Moot Competition in Canberra
On 9 February 2026, the Monash University Moot Team travelled to Canberra to compete in the pinnacle Australian mooting competition of the year– the 2026 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot. The Monash Law team progressed to the quarter finals in its highest seeding in recent history.
In another Monash first, this year’s team drew students from both the LLB and JD cohorts, whose members were Madeleine Harriss (Co-Captain), Declan Sullivan (Co-Captain), Nathanael Mancev, Sara Scully, and Mirella Wong. The team travelled with coach Adjunct Professor William Lye OAM KC who mentored and advised the team throughout the course of competition.
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L to R: Nathanael Mancev, Sara Scully, William Lye OAM KC, Declan Sullivan, Madeleine Harriss, Mirella Wong
The Case Concerning the Gordian Gorge
The Jessup Competition is the largest moot competition in the world, involving over 700 law schools from 100 countries. Teams must prepare two written memorials and are required to evaluate complex legal arguments, synthesise difficult and often conflicting information, and orally present their legal arguments in a simple, coherent and persuasive manner.
This year’s moot problem, the Case Concerning the Gordian Gorge, involved a number of contemporary issues including indigenous people’s rights to consultation and free, prior and informed consent with respect to extraction projects on traditional lands, the application of the principle of law commonly known as double jeopardy where two separate legal systems are concerned, and the extent to which foreign state immunity can apply to State-owned enterprises performing ostensibly commercial activity.
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Oral Rounds
After two days filled with grueling and competitive moots against quality opposition in the Preliminary Rounds, the team progressed to the Quarter Finals with a 3-1 record, beating RMIT University, the University of Tasmania, and the University of Southern Queensland.
L to R: Nathanael Mancev, Mirella Wong and Declan Sullivan during the quarter-final round held at the ANU Moot Court
Teams were judged by distinguished international law academics, Australian Government Solicitor practitioners, and travelling State Ambassadors.
Despite scoring more overall and total oral points than the University of Queensland in the Quarter Final Moot, two of the three judges decided against the team by one point respectively, bringing the team’s stellar run to an end. Australian Human Rights Commissioner and Presiding Quarter Final Judge, Lorraine Finlay, commended both teams for their outstanding oral advocacy and professionalism. The Commissioner, a former Jessup participant herself, underscored the tremendous value of the entire experience and its importance in students’ formative years as they break into their legal careers.
The Monash team sincerely thanks all the advisors, professors and former-Jessupers who generously donated their many Sundays to answer the team’s questions, judge our practice moots, and offer their insights as to how the team could succeed, including Jeremy Brown, Serena Malatesta, Alexander Xing, Haneen Ashmeel, Dev Sharma, William Liu, Kimberley Ng, Felix Archibald, Associate Professor Liz Sheargold, Associate Professor Monique Cormier, Professor Melissa Castan, Professor Jean Allain, and Professor Andrew Choo.
L to R: William Lye OAM KC, Professor Dilan Thampapillai, The Honourable Chrissa Loukas-Karlsson SC, The Honourable Justice Jayne Jagot, Mirella Wong, Sara Scully, Madeleine Harriss
The Monash team also wishes the teams from the University of Sydney, Macquarie University and University of Technology Sydney the best of luck as they advance to the International Round in Washington D.C. on 29 March 2026.