Jessup moot court team wins regional competition, advances to next round

LAWRENCE — A team of KU Law students recently earned a trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the international rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.

The international rounds will take place from March 31 to April 6 on Capitol Hill.

Moot court team members Vince Becraft, Bridget Brazil, Karen Fritts, Diana Jarek and Adam Merello finished in first place at the Jessup Rocky Mountain Regional Championship in Denver on Feb. 24.

At the regional competition, the team also won an award for fourth-best memorial. Brazil won third prize for her oral advocacy skills. There were approximately 60 oralists at the competition. 

“Competing with the Jessup team is always such an amazing experience and is easily one of my favorite parts of law school,” said Brazil, a third-year law student. “I am so excited to have qualified for the international rounds, and I can’t imagine a better way to bring my time at KU Law to a close.”

The Jessup competition is a simulation of a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial body of the United Nations. John Head, the Robert W. Wagstaff Distinguished Professor of Law, and Lua Yuille, associate professor of law, serve as the team’s coaches.

“Our Jessup team’s success this year is an ‘echo’ of KU Law’s strong performance over many years in this program,” Head said. “It’s quite a thrill for the team and the school to be participating in the international rounds again in Washington, D.C., in early April.”

The moot court team competed against 16 other teams based at law schools in California, Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming.

“This Jessup program puts great emphasis on substantive knowledge – not just advocacy skills,” Head said. “Our team members received high praise throughout the competition in Denver regarding their command of the concepts and details of international law.”  

Brazil is from Chanute and is the daughter of Wendy and Timothy Brazil. Becraft is from Searcy, Arkansas, and is the son of Rose Flores and Stan Becraft. Fritts is from Olathe and is the daughter of Bev and Jim Edwards. Jarek is from Republic, Missouri, and is the daughter of Marie and Mark Jarek. Merello is from Grandview, Missouri, and is the son of Devri and David Merello.