Singapore, 6 April 2025 (Sunday) – A team of five undergraduates from Singapore Management University (SMU) Yong Pung How School of Law (YPHSL) has won the 2025 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition after competing in the finals on Saturday, 5 April 2025, in Washington, D.C.. The Jessup moot is the world’s largest and most prestigious moot court competition, drawing law students from across the globe to tackle pressing international legal challenges.
This is the fourth time SMU’s Yong Pung How School of Law (YPHSL) has reached the final round of this competition since its founding in 2007. In previous years, it took first runners-up position in 2013, 2014 and 2022, despite being one of the youngest law schools to compete. This is also the fifth time a Singapore team has won the championship, and the first time in 24 years.
This year’s Jessup moot saw fierce competition with 805 participating teams representing 104 jurisdictions, marking an all-time record for participation in the 66-year history of the competition. The victorious SMU team comprised Lovein Sui (LLB, final year); Elizabeth Ho (LLB, final year); Genieve Wu (LLB, final year); Raelee Toh (LLB, final year); and Erica Wee (LLB, final year). Additionally, Erica was named Best Oralist of the competition (she was also ranked 3rd Best Oralist in the preliminary rounds). The team was coached by SMU Assistant Professor Nicholas Liu (JD, Class of 2015) and Fu Qiyuan (JD, Year 2).
Considered one of the ‘grand slam’ international moots, the Jessup competition simulates a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations. Each law school may send only one competing team, which presents written and oral arguments on complex international legal topics. Winners of national or regional qualifying rounds advance to the White & Case International Rounds in Washington, D.C. during the first week in April, where they compete for the coveted Jessup World Cup. Notably, the Jessup Moot has many illustrious alumni in Singapore, ranging from ministers and judges to Senior Counsels. They include Singapore Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, former YPHSL Advisory Board Chairman VK Rajah SC, current Advisory Board Chairman Ang Cheng Hock SC, and SMU Pro-Chancellor and Distinguished Fellow Justice Judith Prakash.
This year’s competition topic focused on a dispute about two states belonging to a regional organisation. The four key issues were: (i) the court’s temporal and subject matter jurisdiction; (ii) whether a former minister can be prosecuted for committing enforced disappearance; (iii) the definition of a state's exclusive economic zone; and (iv) the legitimacy of competing claims for state representation.
Teams from Australia, India, Singapore and Ukraine advanced to the Semi-Final Round held on 4 April. In a thrilling culmination, SMU and the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy ultimately faced off in the Final Round, where SMU emerged victorious. The 2025 Final Round was judged by International Court of Justice judges Joan Donoghue, Juan Manuel Gomez Robledo, and Georg Nolte.
SMU Associate Professor of Law Chen Siyuan, who oversees the development and training of SMU’s mooting teams as Director of SMU’s Ian R. Taylor International Moots Programme (assisted by Alexander Kamsany Lee (LLB, Class of 2018)), expressed immense pride in the team's victory. He said, “It's wonderful to finally get the cup back to Singapore after 24 years. This team of five talented young ladies have been extremely resilient, having trained and competed in previous moots since 2022. They understood the mission and wanted to do Singapore proud. It was also fantastic to see Nicholas accomplish what he could not in 2014—winning the championship.”
Team leader Genieve expressed her gratitude. “We are incredibly grateful to the seniors and alumni who have helped us prepare since mid-2024. We are especially grateful to our coach, Nicholas, who was an inspirational mooter during his student years and has since become an even more inspiring coach,” she said.
A record of excellence
A key factor driving the moot success at SMU YPHSL is the Ian R Taylor International Moots Programme, which has firmly established the law school on the global stage. This programme has nurtured generations of mooters who have earned numerous world-class accolades, enabling it to consistently excel at the most prestigious international moots.
YPHSL is consistently ranked among the top three law schools worldwide for international moots, according to the Nica.team Law School Ranking. The School is also the tournament leader in prominent competitions such as the International Criminal Court (Hague), Price Media Law (Oxford), Frankfurt Investment, and Vis East (Vienna) moots. SMU teams have consistently excelled in the Jessup (Washington), Mandela, and LAWASIA competitions, among many others.
Just a few weeks ago, SMU won the 23rd Red Cross International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Moot (Asia-Pacific Region) held between 12 and 15 March 2025 in Hong Kong. In 2024, SMU mooters claimed world championship titles in the International Criminal Court (ICC) moot court competition held in The Hague, Netherlands; Refugee Migration; and Fletcher competitions. Additionally, SMU teams reached the world championship finals in the Price, Stetson, and Mandela competitions, while also achieving their maiden win in the Lachs Space moot.
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Enclosures:
- Annex 1 – Group photo of the victorious SMU team
- Watch the final competition round and the results announcement here - https://www.youtube.com/live/wnYeQh-JHK4 or https://www.ilsa.org/2025/04/05/2025-white-case-jessup-world-championship-round/
- View more competition images here - https://www.facebook.com/WhiteCaseJessup
